


The Reign

by jsaint34



Series: Barry and Kara [2]
Category: Supergirl (Comics), Supergirl (TV 2015), Superman - All Media Types, The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2019-07-27 22:49:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16228907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsaint34/pseuds/jsaint34
Summary: Barry and Kara are just starting to explore married life as new challenges come their way.





	1. Recollections

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Strawberries_and_Stars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Strawberries_and_Stars/gifts).



> First chapter of Part Two of my Barry Allen and Kara Danvers series. This chapter has multiple points of view starting with Kara and continuing with Barry, and this is the first time I've written a chapter this way in any of my stories. So please feel free to let me know if the chapter is difficult to follow as this is just a rough outline and can be edited. As always, I own nothing and all characters belong to DC Comics/Warner Brothers.

“My name is Kara-Zor-El. I was born on the planet Krypton. My life may not have been perfect, but I had a family that loved me. Then when I was just barely thirteen years old, we found out my planet, my home was dying. My father Zor-El and my Uncle Jor-El did everything they could to convince the Kryptonian High Council that we should evacuate the planet. Their pleas fell on deaf ears and they were accused of treason.

The Military Guild placed both sides of my family under house arrest. If any of us were to try and flee the planet, we would be disgraced and shunned by society. But my Father and Uncle hatched a daring plan. In secret, they along with my mother Alura and Aunt Lara commissioned two pods to be created. One was for me and the other for my infant cousin Kal-El. We were the last survivors of Krypton, or so we thought.

My Aunt Astra and her husband Non had been sentenced to Fort Rozz for their attempt to overthrow Krypton’s leadership. Aunt Astra had believed my parents about the impending doom for our home, but took dangerous actions. She and Non were sentenced to life in the prison with their followers. During that time Kal and I were sent away, never to see our families again. His pod made it to Earth while mine got stranded in the Phantom Zone for twenty-four years. I finally reached Earth to learn that my cousin had grown up to become Superman.

That was nearly thirteen years ago now. A lot has happened since that day; I developed the same powers as Kal, eventually using them to become Supergirl. While I had an adoptive family who cared for me there was still one thing missing in my life. Kal had grown up here with a nice family and taken the name Clark Kent, and met in his words a feisty reporter who without even trying won his heart.

For a time I was jealous of Clark and Lois, but then something happened. I had just become a junior reporter for Cat Co. Media. My first big story was the day I met the man who would become the love of my life. His name is Barry Allen, and he is the fastest man alive, he’s the Flash. Two days ago I became his wife. We were on our way to National City which has been my home for a few years now. In four months Barry and I will be moving into our brand new apartment in Central City. But nothing could have prepared us for the fireball streaking across the sky, eventually crash landing in a field just outside of National City.

When we reached the landing site, we found a Kryptonian pod in the crater. While it wasn’t unusual now for me to discover another survivor of my planet, the person in the pod was someone I had thought was long since dead. I have Barry, and after everything we’ve been through together I found myself wanting to hope, but fearing to all the same.”

“Kara…you know her? Who is this?”

“She’s…she’s my mother.”

“Your mother?”

_“Barry had placed his hand on my shoulder to support me after joining me in the crater. Looking at my mother it seemed as if she hadn’t aged a day. I really wanted to believe it was her, but after Barry was taken into the Speed Force in February, at which time I thought I had lost him forever, six months he was gone but he came back to me. Then two months until our wedding day Mr. Mxyzptlk abducted me, so naturally I was skeptical and wanted proof. Off in the distance I could hear sirens, and knew that National City P.D. would soon arrive to investigate the crash site. They would have questions and want answers that neither Barry nor I could provide. His voice broke me out of my daze.”_

“Kara, we have to go. We can’t let your mother wake up here and be met with guns and sirens. Especially since they’ll ask a lot of…”

“I know; Barry. There’s only one place we can go right now. I’m going to carry her pod, think you can keep up?”

“Kara…you know I’m…”

“Right…we’ve got to get to the D.E.O. Do me a favor…call Alex and let her know we’re coming.”

_“As the sirens got closer, I reclosed the hatch on my mother’s pod and lifted it easily. In less than five minutes I was in the air with Barry following on the ground at super-speed. Even though I had wanted to call my sister Alex personally, I had to focus my attention on keeping the ship safe. But I could hear Barry as he ran the distance, and I’m sure he was not letting me out of his sight.”_

“Alex…”

“Well if it isn’t my brother in law of two days. I would have thought you and Kara were on your way to your honeymoon.”

“That was definitely in the plan, but we had to make a stop in National City. Kara was going to…you know what…that’s not important right now. Are you at the D.E.O.?”

“I’m on my way, why?”

“Kara and I need you to meet us there. We just had an encounter with a fireball that cut through the sky.”

“That was on the news…you guys got there first?”

“Alex…”

“Yeah, sorry…so what was the…”

“A Kryptonian pod crashed in an empty field. Kara’s carrying it as I follow her.”

_“Alex fell silent for a moment and I thought that at the speeds I was running I had lost the connection. I knew Kara was listening so when I stopped speaking as well, she flew down closer to me to try and pick up on what had happened.”_

“Barry…?”

“Alex just stopped talking Kara…I…”

“I’m still here Barry. Just hearing the words Kryptonian pod startled me. Can you ask Kara who or what is…”

“Barry, tell Alex that inside the pod is someone who I think is a Kryptonian woman…she appears to be in a coma.”

“Alex…”

“I heard Kara, Barry. I just reached the D.E.O. I pulled a team to help me set up my medical labs. I’m sure Kara knows where to land so as soon as you get here…”

“We’re just about there. I can see the high rise. Kara’s headed for the balcony entrance. I’m right behind her.”

_“As I ran up the side of the building I wondered why Kara had only told Alex it was a Kryptonian woman. A thousand thoughts ran through my head as I worried about my wife. She seemed so sure that the woman was her mother that I didn’t understand why she had neglected to mention that to Alex. Whatever her reasons were, I trusted her judgement as Alex rushed out the doors with a gurney just as Kara set the pod down.”_

“Kara…how is she?”

“I don’t know Alex, she’s either in a coma or a state of suspended animation. The pod was a streak of fire through the sky, honestly I’m amazed that it didn’t burn up on entry.”

“We’ll worry about that later. I’ve got to get her to my lab so I can assess what’s wrong. I’m sure Clark probably saw the news. You might want to call him; he might be able to help.”

_“I watched as Alex wheeled my mother to the medical labs to begin her testing. Barry stayed right there with me as I continued to process the fact that my mother was alive. I knew I should call Clark but I was still in a slight daze, not knowing what to do or believe. Once again it was Barry who snapped me back to reality.”_

“Kara…I know you’re confused. Even without our inhibitors I can feel your stress. But I can’t tell what you’re thinking. I can only imagine that the world has spun around on its axis more than once for you. And I know you know that I’ve been where you are. Feeling like you’ve lost everyone, thinking you’d never see you parents again. I can even understand why you didn’t tell Alex that her patient is your mother. After all you and I have been through together…”

_“Barry paused and pulled me close, wrapping one arm around my shoulders and the other around my waist. As Supergirl; I often have to be the strong one. But with Barry holding me, I buried my head against his chest and let the tears fall. In that moment, I hoped more than ever that the woman in the pod is my mother, so I can introduce her to the man who won my heart.”_

“Hey…Kara, it’s okay. I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere and we’ll figure this out. We’ll do this how we do everything, as a team.”

“Barry…I am so glad I met you. I’m even happier that we got married. You always know the right words to bring a smile to my face, baby.”

“Well…not always. But in the moments when it counts the most, I’ll always do whatever it takes to make you smile.”

_“In that next instant I was laughing, not because what Barry said was funny, but because his saying it cheered me up, right as Alex came back.”_

“Well she’s definitely Kryptonian. The needle I tried to use to take a blood sample bent on contact with her arm.”


	2. Remnants

As Barry and Kara were taking the Kryptonian pod to the D.E.O., they were unaware that another ship had entered Earth’s atmosphere. This vessel had severe hull integrity damage and broke apart into four smaller pods, each crashing into different locations around the planet. Three of the pods impacted so hard that they buried themselves deep underground, their occupants remaining in a state of hyper-sleep. The fourth pod, while it too suffered a violent crash, appeared over a rural farming town. 

A farmer on his way back from his fields saw the streak of fire in the sky just before it hit his truck, destroying the vehicle in a massive explosion. He had barely managed to escape the vehicle, landing in the wheat fields. What he saw next defied explanation as a woman with blood red hair emerged from the wreckage. He passed out shortly after, and his story would become a tale over many beers at the bar nearest his home.

Billions of years before the births of Kal-El and Kara, the planet Krypton was a violent world, inhabited by only a few scientists who were forced to remain in their vessel as the very environment of the planet was fatal to humanoids. Among them was an off-world alien by the name of Bertron. He had been one of the top minds in the universe and the natives of the planet had sought him out to help tame their world.

None of them could have known when he came to answer their call that his plans had far more dangerous ramifications. Bertron had set out to create the ultimate life-form. For several years he and the rest of the scientists cloned a baby, sending it out into the world. Each time the baby was destroyed and the process would begin again. Forty years later, the baby had evolved into the creation Bertron had envisioned.

But this evolution came with a price. The creature, now being referred to as the Ultimate, remembered each instance where he met his death. Enraged, he killed all of the native life forms before turning his attention to the scientists themselves. With nothing to keep him on the planet, the creature escaped by means of a supply ship that Bertron had kept in contact with, as he despised the locals and wished to have as little contact with them as possible outside of their experimentation. Years passed and the experiment known as the Ultimate faded into legend until he was forgotten completely. Krypton flourished and became a scientific haven. 

During what would become known as the Golden Age of Krypton, the Science Council learned of past genetic experimentation and ordered their most respected members to form the guild that would restart these tests. Jor-El and Zor-El were the first two of many to follow. While Jor-El saw practicality in the genetic engineering and all the benefits it could provide, Zor-El was heavily influenced by the military guild to create weapons. The High Council of Krypton had grown into an attitude of extreme isolationism. They felt that the outside universe had no need for their scientific advancements which led to many wars. Apokolips, Thanagar, and Colu sent warriors to Krypton, leading to the decimation of many cities.

These attacks furthered the decision to create genetically modified warriors, a call to arms spearheaded by General Zod whom had fought valiantly to protect Kandor against Braniac and his Coluan army. The calls were listened to by the High Council, and Zor-El and his team were forced to cooperate. Five aliens of varying species were taken, most of which were criminals that had attacked Kryptonian ships that had left the planet. These five were tested on and turned into what the military guild dubbed Worldkillers. With promises of their sentences being commuted; they fought to protect Krypton, but soon realized that it was only a matter of time before an army came that would prove to be more than they could handle.

Twelve years had passed as the Worldkillers along with Zod’s army had kept Krypton safe. Kara had been born during those years of peace and Zor-El realized he didn’t want his daughter to grow up knowing only war. When Kal-El was born, his arrival brought the two brothers back together after years estranged. Jor-El had thought his brother was participating in the experimentation voluntarily as Zod only showed his altruistic side in public. 

It was during that same time that Krypton’s core became dangerously unstable. Jor and Zor went to the High Council but failed to convince them of the impending disaster. Zod, being disillusioned himself after Brainiac’s attack resulted in the death of his wife, went rogue after he was ordered to arrest the brothers; but refused. He was exiled to the Phantom Zone which paved the way for Brainiac’s return. Kandor was taken and Argo City barely survived as the Worldkillers joined with the Coluan forces and set the planet’s destruction ahead years before the core was initially predicted to explode.

“Jor…we have to do something. Krypton is dying. Despite the house arrest we are under, we cannot let Kal die with us.”

“Zor and I told the Council this day was coming Lara, but we were ridiculed for our knowledge. It is time that we enact the plan you and I and Zor and Alura initiated twelve years ago.”

Zor-El and Alura met Jor-El and Lara in the launch bays with Kal and Kara. As the planet was exploding around them Kal was placed in his pod first, launched to the stars as Kara’s parents and Kal’s put all their hopes onto her.

“Mother, Father, I’m scared.”

“Do not worry Kara, we’re sending you some place safe. It is a small world, far less advanced than Krypton. You must watch over Kal-El. In time under the yellow sun, the both of you will gain powers that will elevate you in the eyes of mankind. Do not make the same mistakes our High Council has. Be a light in the darkness for humanity. When they look to the skies, the two of you will bring them hope.”

“Will we be together on this new planet?”

“In time, we will find you. Now go Kara…go!”

Kara climbed into her pod, her eyes filled with tears as her pod was launched into the stars on the same course as Kal-El’s. When they were sure she was a safe distance away, the brothers and their wives parted ways with each other. Brainiac had launched a new attack on Argo City, causing Zor-El to enact the second part of his plan. He had created a force-field that would protect Argo even as Krypton was destroyed around it. In the core of the city was an engine of his and Jor-El’s design that would allow the city to survive indefinitely. Together they made their way to Argo in an attempt to escape the planet’s fate. Alura was the only one to make it as the force-field activated just after the leader of the Worldkillers caught up to Zor-El.

“You will not escape Zor-El.”

“I know…but my daughter, my wife and my nephew will live on. Someday they will right the wrongs I have committed in the name of science. Creating you was a perversion, and thankfully one I will not have to live with for much longer.”

“How right you are. As for your family, it is only a matter of time before we find them and all Kryptonian life is extinguished from the universe.”

“You will not intimidate me Worldkiller. My brother may have resigned himself to Krypton’s fate, but I will not go down without a fight.”

Zor-El fired the weapon he had kept concealed as he sent Kara away but it had no effect on his enemy. The warrior rushed forward, and with one hand easily lifted the scientist off the ground, snapping his neck as Alura watched and screamed for him. In the next moments, the Worldkiller was transported up to a vessel as Krypton’s destruction reached a fever pitch while Argo City was launched to the stars. Alura fell to her knees in tears as she watched her home engulf the lifeless corpse of her husband. All the hope she had left was that Kal-El and Kara would make it to their new home of Earth.

Twenty four years passed as Argo City drifted in space. Alura feared she would never learn if the sacrifice the House of El had made to save their children was successful. The city had formed a new council that governed the survivors while attempting to ensure that the mistakes of old were not made again. In a few years after grieving for her lost family, Alura joined the Council to provide a calming voice in turbulent times. Life went on, the people began to hope again, and an unprecedented peace reigned from the ashes of Krypton. But such a peace was never meant to last as the sensors Alura repaired to detect dangers alerted the Council to a vessel entering Argo’s orbit. As the vessel came into view, it was one Alura was intimately familiar with as it was the last sight she had seen before her home destroyed itself. The Worldkillers had survived.

Days passed as Argo City was under siege. The threat was unyielding, each Worldkiller ruthlessly killing survivors. All the four could remember were their names, purpose and their creation on Krypton. Beyond that, they were a blank slate, bred only for destruction. One by one, Argo’s population fell. All that remained were Alura and Nara, her sister-in-law’s Grandmother. Nara had been a highly respected voice on the High Council of Krypton and retired to Argo when her term was up. 

Now the two women make another desperate attempt to survive. Alura had kept the specifications Jor and Zor had used for the pods and over the years improved on them, creating her own. Debris was raining down as Alura’s pod was launched to the stars, in the hopes that she would find assistance from a benevolent race to help defeat this enemy. However, she didn’t know when she built the pod to Zor-El’s specifications he had included a failsafe that was designed to track Kryptonian survivors. This failsafe brought her to Earth in a state of suspended animation, but alive. Unfortunately the threat followed her as Argo City now floated lifelessly in the cosmos. The last remnant of Krypton was now nothing more than a ruin in testament to the once proud civilization’s ego and complacency.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter went through a couple of re-writes and I'm still not sure I'm entirely happy with it so edits may follow. However, last season of Supergirl used the Worldkillers as a threat for the Girl of Steel and I brought them in to this chapter, but with more ties to their comic book origins from the New 52. The split personalities of Sam/Reign were done well, but I'm not going that route here. As always feel free to comment on what you like or don't but please be respectful.


	3. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, took me awhile to get this chapter written how I wanted it so I'm sorry for the delay in posting. I'm not going to comment on how much more political the Supergirl T.V. show is getting save to say I watch these shows to get away from politics. Given that, I'm going to keep any politics out of this story and focus on what made the comics I read growing up about these characters enjoyable for me. There's so much rich history in the works I draw my inspiration from that I choose to stick to that in all my stories. On with Chapter 3.

_“I wasn’t sure what to think as Barry and I looked at the needle Alex had used in her attempt to take a blood sample from my mother.  A thousand thoughts ran through my head: where was she all this time, how did she survive Krypton’s destruction, and the hardest one to process: if she was alive all these years, why did she never try to find me?  I was sure Alex immediately knew that her patient was my mother from the recordings we both saw of her.  But to avoid what I felt would be an awkward and unpleasant conversation; I bolted from the room as fast as possible.  There was only one place in the D.E.O. I thought I could go to get answers, at least until my mother wakes up to tell me personally.”_

“Kara…?”

_“I could hear the worry in Barry’s voice and I although didn’t want him to feel like I was pushing him away just two days into our marriage, this was something I felt like I had to do alone.  So I ignored my super-hearing and was glad that he and I weren’t telepathically linked at the moment, even if deep down I knew I was being foolish.”_

“What was that Barry?  I’ve seen Kara through some rough times, but this…she should be happy that her mother is alive.”

“Alex…you know…?”

“There is a certain resemblance even if she appears younger than she should.  Besides, I fought Kara’s Aunt Astra.  I’d be a lousy agent if I couldn’t see that this woman is her twin.”

“I…I’d better go find Kara.”

_“I walked away from Alex, immediately worried about what Kara was thinking and feeling in this moment.  If I found my mother alive after all these years, I wouldn’t know how to react either.  Even my trip to Earth-2 with Harry and Cisco was only the tip of what I could have felt when I talked to her on the phone.  And that Nora was another Barry’s mother, a version of me who had never become the Flash.  It didn’t take me long to find Kara as I heard her voice coming from a room off to my right, and another voice answering her but only with what seemed to be prerecorded responses.”_

“All this time you were alive!  All these years I’ve spent on Earth and you never came to find me!  Where were you?”

“I am sorry Kara, but I am only a recording, made in the years before Krypton’s destruction.  I made these so you would know that your father and I love you.  That we didn’t want you to die with us.”

“But you promised you would find me!  I spent twenty-four years trapped in the Phantom Zone!  The very reason you sent me to Earth was to protect Kal!  I got here and he didn’t need my protection!”

“Kara…”

Barry watched as Kara slammed her hands down on the projector plate, deactivating the hologram of her mother.  He heard and could almost feel her anger, instantly rushing forward to hold her.  In his embrace, she turned, wrapping her arms around him and buried her face against his chest.  As Flash and Supergirl, he knew she wouldn’t always need him to come to her rescue.  But right now she was just Kara and she needed the comfort of her husband in an emotionally trying time.

Across the country Clark had just returned to Metropolis for Lois’ doctor’s appointment.  He had been in the Arctic when all of the Fortress’ sensors lit up alerting him to the multiple breaches of Earth’s atmosphere.  One fireball had come streaking across the northern skies and he followed until it crashed deep into the ocean floor off the coast of Greece.  While he could hold his breath for long periods of time, he found no trace of the object and thought that it must have been a meteorite that got caught in Earth’s gravity. 

The news that Clark and Lois received at her appointment was unexpected, but welcome as her doctor revealed that she was pregnant.  Now the couple was faced with the revelation of a human and Kryptonian hybrid, and what that meant for the baby and for Lois.  The news would require another trip to the Fortress but as they were leaving a call came through for Clark from Perry.

“Yes Chief…yes…I heard about the streak of fire over the Arctic…of course; I’ll get right on that lickety split…yes Sir…”

Lois rolled her eyes at Clark’s response as she could hear Perry’s simultaneous Great Caesar’s Ghost.  Clark had told her about the fireball that he chased as they waited for her doctor. Even though it was their day off, Perry’s call meant something had happened and her husband would have to investigate.

“Lois…”

“Yeah; I heard Perry.  What’s the news?”

“Another two of those fireballs were reported as landing near National City at the same time I tracked the other one.  Apparently one that hit a small rural farming town had a witness.”

“And Cat isn’t the first to know?  You think she’s slipping since she left the Planet and formed Cat Co. Media?  Kara has been covering all of her alien and meta-human stories…”

“I know, and I’m sure Kara probably has this well under control.  But this can’t go without Superman lending a hand.  I don’t think this is a coincidence.”

“Well go on; Smallville.  I can get home okay.  Tell Kara I said hi.”

“What; just Kara? Nothing for me to say to Barry?”

“Oh I’m sure he’ll be there as well.”

Lois smirked as she got into their car as Clark dashed down an alley way, pulling his tie off and changing into Superman.  It had only been two days since Barry and Kara’s wedding and seeing them again so soon was unexpected.  But he had to take care of interviewing the witness first and then make a trip to the D.E.O.  Upon arriving in National, Clark used his super hearing to single out conversations about the incident.  When he found the bar, the witness seemed to be heavily drunk and was telling his story about a woman with blood red hair crawling out of the remains of his pickup truck to Jimmy and Barry’s foster sister Iris who had been assigned to report on the story as well. 

“Blood red hair…a streak of fire through the sky that destroyed his pickup truck…what do you think Iris?”

Iris and Jimmy both turned around upon hearing Clark’s voice.  The latter was happy to see his friend again and Iris was still in shock at seeing Clark Kent in person even though she had met him back at the Daily Planet last year when she was in Metropolis. 

“Well; Mr. Kent…with all the strange things we’ve seen since the particle accelerator explosion, not to mention Cadmus…the Khunds that your cousin Kara reported on…”

“You think we’ve got another alien that crashed on Earth?  It’s certainly not impossible.”

“Our witness’ description went far beyond just the blood red hair…she had gray skin and didn’t seem to suffer any ill effects from the flames she crawled out of.  But he even admits that he can’t be sure of everything he saw.  He passed out shortly after he saw her.  When he woke up, all that was left in the crater were the remains of his truck.  Whatever she crashed down in…he says nothing remained.  What’s even more confusing is that National City’s special task force didn’t find anything.”

“Strange…I take it you’re going to report on this?”

“On what?  There’s not much here to report on, Mr. Kent.  I’ll need to do a lot more digging to see if there is any more to the story.”

“I see…well Iris…you’ve got great instincts…Lois and I both realized that when you came to the Planet.  A good journalist will dig until he or she finds the truth.  I learned that from Lois when I first got hired.  Keep up the good work.”

Iris left the bar with that high praise from Clark to continue her investigation.  Jimmy stayed behind to talk to his friend and was met with multiple curious questions.

“So Jimmy…Cat’s got you writing now?  Is she short on reporters or did you just take this assignment to get closer to Iris West?”

“Clark…I’ve known Iris for two days.  You know the first time we met was the day of Barry and Kara’s wedding.  I didn’t even…she was…”

“Relax Jimmy.  I’d forgotten how flustered you get since you moved to National City to get out of my shadow.  I still think it was the best choice for you.”

“And I’m still glad to hear that.  And yes, Cat did ask me to cover the story since Kara is…”

“…supposed to be on her honeymoon?  Somehow I don’t think she’s left yet.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised…speaking of Cat…”

Jimmy’s phone began ringing with a call from his boss.  As he answered he knew that he was needed back at the office and Clark had other matters to attend to so he gave Jimmy a clasp on the shoulder before heading off for his next destination. After landing at the D.E.O., Clark could tell that the whole agency was abuzz as everyone was wrapped up in one investigation or another.  With J’onn on Mars dealing with an unknown situation, Alex had been left in charge.  She was issuing orders as he entered the building.

“Seems like I arrived just in time Alex.  Seems like the D.E.O. has multiple emergencies in play.”

“Superman, you have no idea.  The President called personally about U.S. satellites picking up numerous breaches of Earth’s atmosphere.  Four to be specific…, one of which turned out to be a Kryptonian pod…”

“Wait…a Kryptonian pod?  Where is it now?”

“Here.  Kara and Barry were the first to find it…”

“Where is it?  I need to see it.”

“Winn’s working on it now.  He’s trying to figure out how it protected the pilot and made her invulnerable when I tried to take a blood sample.”

“Then I need to check in on him.  You’re sure it’s Kryptonian?”

“Kara was sure.  Good enough for me.  Why?”

“Because there was rumor in the archives at my Fortress that some Daxamites got a hold of some our pods before the destruction.  The royal family of Daxam hated the High Council of Krypton.  And the High Council condemned Daxam’s open slavery.”

“Kara told me about Daxam.  They were one of the planets that decided to wage war on your home.”

“Yes…so the pod…?”

“In the hangar where we keep Kara’s.  But Superman, I really think you should see my patient.  She’s alive…but…”

Alex’s hesitation in continuing her train of thought worried Clark.  Whoever this woman is, his curiosity was piqued and he followed her to the lab.  Though he had been a baby upon leaving Krypton, he recognized her face from Kara’s archive crystal.  As such he was barely able to get the words out at seeing her in person.

“She…this can’t be…”

“Kara’s mother?  There’s no mistaking the fact that she looks just like Astra.  But she could be someone else, someone who had her appearance altered to look like Alura.”

“No…Krypton may have experimented with genetic engineering in the past, but altering one’s appearance was seen as an affront to the Gods.  At least according to my father.  Kryptonians were many things, but vain was not one of them.”

“Seriously?”

“Why should we have been?  My people were dedicated to the advancement of science.”

Alex was mystified as Clark walked off to find Winn and the pod in the hangar but came across the room where Barry and Kara were first.  He could tell by the way Kara was leaning heavily on Barry that she was extremely angry, and as the younger hero was doing everything he could to comfort her, Clark didn’t want to interrupt and continued on.  He found Winn a short while later, still pouring over the pod, an intense look on his face and his brow furrowed.

“You need some help Winn?”

“Superman…yeah…I’ve been working on this ship for a few hours now but I can’t seem to come up with any answers.  There has to be a reason for it to…”

“Come to Earth?  I’m sure there was.  Let me take a look.”

Clark climbed into the pilot’s seat and took hold of the controls.  Instantly the ship powered up, showing the propulsion engines, diagnostics, and the tracking systems all in response to his Kryptonian D.N.A.  The last system to power up was an ultraviolet light array that revealed why the pilot was already showing signs of invulnerability. 

“Yellow sunlight…our pilot is in a state of hyper-sleep so she must have programmed her ship to simulate the Earth’s star while she made her journey.”

“Okay but how did you get the pod to power up when I couldn’t?”

“The systems are designed to respond to Kryptonian D.N.A. only.  Whoever this woman is, she must have been in danger for her to gamble on Kryptonian survivors being on Earth.”

“Or she knew that there were Kryptonians living here and specifically set the ship’s navigation systems to bring her here.  You know who she is?”

“I think I do Winn, but until she wakes up I can’t offer any kind of confirmation.  And with J’onn off planet, we’re without a telepath to read her mind.”

“We could always use…”

“Absolutely not.  I know he’s still in lockdown here…but I’m not letting that maniac anywhere near us.”

“I wasn’t going to suggest using Despero; Superman.  I don’t want to see a repeat of what he did to Kara and J’onn any more than you do.  But I can fashion new telepathic inhibitors to connect her mind to yours or to Kara’s.  We can get our answers that way.”

“There’s no need for that Winn.  She’s my mother.”

Neither Clark nor Winn had heard Kara and Barry enter as they were caught up in their conversation.  Both looked over at her and while her anger seemed to have abated she was still leaning on Barry as she spoke.

“Kara…”

“I had a feeling Alex would have told you already Clark.  And yes, I have my theories that this woman could have had her appearance altered to look like my mother but we both know that the High Council didn’t approve of cosmetic alterations to our fundamental physical appearance.”

“To do so would be dishonoring Rao who according to myth forged our physical attributes.”

“Just like Earth and how humanity was based on the appearances of whatever God or Gods the ancients believed in.”

“Yes Winn…so if this woman is Alura…we have to figure out why she came here…”

“And how she survived Krypton’s destruction; cousin.”

Clark and Winn could hear the edge still in Kara’s voice and knew she was hurt and angry that her mother had come to Earth now and not years ago to find her daughter.  Barry had been with Kara and knew how emotional she was, so he wrapped his arm around her just a little tighter as alarms started to sound throughout the building. 

“What the…where…?”

“Alex’s lab, Barry.  Something’s happened to my mother.”

Kara took off with Barry and Clark right behind her.  They reached the lab in seconds to find her mother sitting up in the bed, the various machines she was connected to beeping wildly.  She didn’t seem to be aware of her surroundings and her eyes were blank as she spoke two words repeatedly in Kryptonian.  Alex and Barry were confused as Clark and Kara translated with a slight amount fear in their voices.

“Kara…what’s she saying?”

“Argo…Worldkiller.”


	4. Prophecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter and I must apologize for the near three months it's been since an update to this story. The holidays and a massive case of writer's block got in the way and I was constantly unhappy with how this chapter was going at first and couldn't make anything work and almost threw in the towel. But, here we are and I hope everyone enjoys. Side note: parentheses, quotes and italics denote Kara and her mother speaking in Kryptonian to each other since Microsoft word doesn't recognize that specific language, okay, lame joke aside here we go.

Alex’s lab fell eerily silent as those two words were left ominously hanging in the air.  As Alex continued to check Alura’s vitals, Barry looked back and forth between Kara and Clark.  Kara had told him the little she could remember of Argo City where she had been born. But at five years old she and her family had moved to Kryptonopolis when her mother was named Chief Judicator for Fort Rozz.  Almost on instinct he knew that the name of Kara’s birth city followed by the word Worldkiller was nothing less than a portent of doom.  As such he was hesitant to ask, but some knowledge would help light the way.

“So I know I’m late to the party here, but what exactly is a Worldkiller?”

Barry’s question snapped both Clark and Kara out of their dazed state though the latter’s eyes remained fixated on her mother as Clark spoke in answer, his voice tinged with disbelief.

“A rumor Barry, a myth from before the destruction of my home. In my last confrontation with Brainiac; he inferred that Earth would meet the same fate as Krypton with one word-Worldkiller.”

“So what did you learn about these so called Worldkillers?  What can…”

Barry’s train of thought was interrupted by a meta-human alert on his phone followed by a call from Cisco.  Not wanting to potentially wake Kara’s mother or disturb his wife he stepped out into the hallway.

“Cisco…”

“Need you back at Star immediately; Barry.  Someone is attempting to initiate a breach in the Cortex. We’re containing it for now, but could be trouble.”

“I’ll be there.”

Upon finishing his call, Barry stepped back into Alex’s lab, and the situation had only changed slightly from when he left.  Clark was standing behind Kara with a comforting hand on her shoulder as she had pulled a chair up next to the bed.  Alura had fallen back against the pillows as if her previous actions hadn’t occurred.  When he wrapped his arms around Kara’s shoulders, Clark stepped away and answered the younger hero’s unfinished question.

“The information on the Worldkillers was minimal, Barry.  As I said, rumor.  But the Fortress does contain the largest repository of Kryptonian knowledge.  There has to be something there.  Kara…”

“Go on Kal…, I’m going to stay here.  If my mother wakes up, I want to be here when she does.”

Clark left the D.E.O. to fly off to the Arctic and get whatever information he could on this potential new threat even if he had to deactivate Kelex to do it.  Meanwhile Barry tightened his comforting embrace around Kara as she ran her hand up his bicep, instantly feeling his tension.

“You’re leaving too, aren’t you Barry?”

“Not like I want to.  Someone is attempting to open a breach to our world through Star Labs.  Ever since Zoom…”

“Barry, it’s okay.  If this is a threat, you need to deal with it.  I can come along if you…”

“I want you too, but like you said, you should stay with your mother.  This may be nothing.  I promise I’ll call if I need you, Kara.  And I’ll be back before you know it.”

“Be safe, baby.  See you soon.”

Barry sped off while Kara stayed at the D.E.O.  Upon arriving back at Star and the Cortex, the breach had opened and Jesse Wells jumped through.  She had come because Grodd had abducted her father and was planning to use him to mount an invasion of Earth-1.  Barry, Cisco and Caitlin all traveled with Jesse back to her Earth as they had sent Grodd there in the first place.  At the same time Clark had arrived at his Fortress to ascertain the truth of Brainiac’s claims.  His entering of the word Worldkiller in the computer activated Kelex who in turn spoke with a warning.

“Master Kal-El, if you are continuing to seek information on the Worldkillers, I must strongly advise against your actions.”

“I can’t stop Kelex.  Brainiac clearly knew something about this legend.  If Earth is fated to meet an end like that of Krypton, and I can stop it, I will.”

“Your father programmed me to protect all information on the dark times of your home-world.  As such I cannot…”

Kelex was silenced as Clark deactivated the Fortress’ security protocols, thus shutting the robot down.  Knowing that Jor-El had programmed the directive into the crystal that built the Fortress and Kelex, Clark pushed further in, a previously unseen holographic recording of his father activating.

_“The Worldkiller Initiative has long been kept secret even among the most revered Kryptonian scientists.  Krypton’s science was the envy of the universe and led the High Council to adopt an extreme form of isolationism.  Only Nara felt that this was an incorrect stance as our advancements should have been shared with worlds that desperately needed what our achievements in technology, medicine and genetics could provide.  Though highly respected, her vote was the only one against Krypton’s withdrawal.”_

“Not surprising, I wonder where you stood on the issue, Father.”

_“I agreed with her, as did Lara.  But the Council would not budge on their ruling.  The planet was soon besieged by violent worlds, Thanagar, Apokolips, Colu; even our neighboring Daxam began to wage war on our home.  Zod and his army protected Krypton valiantly, though a Coluan by the name of Vril Dox shrank Kandor…”_

“Brainiac…”

_“…and took our Capital City.  Many died in his attempted conquest.  So the Council initiated the Worldkiller project and my brother Zor-El was forcibly coerced into performing genetic alterations to five alien pirates of varying species.  For several years they fought alongside Zod to protect us until Dox, now known as Brainiac, convinced them to join his war.  They were unstoppable and Krypton’s core being already unstable was their main target.  The attacks caused the planetary cataclysm to occur years before it was supposed to.”_

“But what about the project?  If the Worldkillers are real and have come to Earth…?”

_“Sadly, Krypton was no more.  Our own hubris led to our downfall.  Many have questioned the truth of the Prophecy, as the ultimate goal of the Worldkillers became to extinguish all Kryptonian life from the universe.”_

Jor-El’s recording pauses as a new hologram appears before his holographic image.  Clark is familiar with the book he sees as he’d perused it many times over to learn the ancient history of their planet.

_From the Book of Rao:_

_“Krypton will be a beautiful world, a beacon of light for the Universe.  But dark times will befall us in the form of a Worldkiller.  No one knows who, what or how many forms this Worldkiller will take.  But the prophecy cannot be denied.  Wherever Kryptonian life exists, the Worldkillers will find them.  It has been said that four streaks of fire will signal the arrival of death.  A remnant of Krypton, as dark as the night sky will birth the true Worldkiller.  The others will follow this one, one said to be born a last child of Krypton.”_

As the holograms of both Jor-El and the book deactivated, Clark was left with more questions than answers and a fear that he has rarely felt before.  The one thing he could be sure of now is that the Worldkillers are very real.  With the arrival of Alura, there were now four last children of Krypton on Earth, one of whom is imprisoned here in the Fortress itself.  With the looming threat, Clark knew it was time to face his enemy once again.  Deep in the furthest recesses of this near impenetrable memoriam to Krypton was a chamber, the lights inside based on red ultra-violet light.  Sitting on a stone bench, the prisoner looked up upon hearing Clark’s footsteps approach.

“Son of Jor-El.  You mock me with your sad devotion to our fallen home.  Your Fortress…”

“I told you long ago, I expect better from my guests.”

“Indeed, how many years has it been since our glorious battle?”

“Still as vain as ever.  You failed to turn Earth into a new Krypton.  I…”

“Spare me your useless prattling.  You are not the protector these pathetic humans believe you to be.  What would they think if they knew you have kept me a powerless prisoner under a red sun?  I care not. I wonder, what would your cousin think?”

“Leave Kara out of this.  She…”

“You have lied to her.  You know Kal-El; I would prefer the Phantom Zone to this relic, especially if I no longer had to be in your self-righteous presence.”

“I can send you back; I’ve studied my father’s designs on the Phantom Zone projector.  Kelex could easily recreate the device.”

“Then do so and let me spend my remaining years in peace…”

“No.  I’ve seen what your kind of peace in the Phantom Zone looks like.  I came to you for answers.”

“And yet you still have not asked any questions.  You bore me.  I’m afraid I have nothing more to say to you.”

“Oh I think you do.  Tell me, does the title Worldkiller mean anything to you?”

“A superstition, myth and legend from the High Council.  Why?”

“You fear that word, you fear the Worldkillers.”

“I am the greatest warrior Krypton has ever known!  I fear nothing!”

“Then tell me why you fought alongside the Worldkillers before your exile.  I know everything.  Brainiac was responsible for the death of your wife, Faora.  So tell me about this enemy.  For once in your life think of others before yourself…Zod.”

Though reluctant to help his nemesis, Zod sighed and resigned himself to Clark’s questioning.  If nothing else it would gain him silence again.  He had seen the potential the Worldkiller’s possessed while they aided him and his army in defending Krypton, but also the danger they could represent once they turned on their creators.  But he was also still thinking of his own self-preservation, if this threat had indeed come to Earth, his life was also now in jeopardy.

“First off Kal-El…never mention my wife again.  Secondly; if my answers will result in no longer having to endure your presence…where shall I begin…”

While Zod slowly began revealing his knowledge, Barry and his team were still on Earth-2 while at the D.E.O. Kara was still at her mother’s bedside.  For the moment the agents were using all their resources to track the energy signatures of the vessels that had entered the Earth’s atmosphere and their potential crash landing sites.  When Alex finally got her first hit on a possible location, the controlled chaos she was overseeing was shattered as Kara was violently thrown into the control room.

“Supergirl…!”

Struggling to her feet in a slight state of shock, Kara raised her hand, hoping to keep the other agents and her sister back after hearing their guns drawn, locked and ready to fire.  While they all were prepared to combat the threat that had attacked Supergirl, the sight of the woman striding forward from the lab caused a state of awe.

“Pull everybody back, Alex.  I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Supergirl…”

“She doesn’t know what she’s doing.  This is my responsibility.”

Kara stood there face to face with her very much awake and seemingly extremely furious mother.  The two women stared each other down as the D.E.O. agents began to fall back to safer positions.  They all knew the power Supergirl was capable of and if this other woman was Kryptonian as the rumors suggested, no one wanted to be near the destructive battle that was potentially about to occur.  With only Kara and her mother left, the control room fell disturbingly silent until the quiet was broken by a pronouncement in Kryptonian.

_(“You have no right to wear that symbol on your chest.  Who are you?”)_

_(“Not your enemy.  I want to help you…Alura…”)_

_(“How do you know my name…?  You’re one of them, a Worldkiller!”)_

Rage lit up Alura’s eyes, and Kara knew it was the beginnings of heat vision developing.  She had the same experience the first time.  Remembering how destructive her first use of heat vision had been Kara raised her hand as the concentrated beams of energy hit.  With her mother’s attack focused solely on her, the surrounding building was spared major damage as Kara pressed forward until she reached Alura.

_(“I know you’re confused, but I promise I’m not going to hurt you.  You’ve been in a state of hyper-sleep as your ship traveled to Earth…”)_

_(“LIAR!”)_

Alura could see that this new power she had developed was having little effect on the woman in front of her so she knew she had to change tactics.  Still believing Kara was one of the Worldkillers, she threw a punch that had more strength behind it than she anticipated.  The force of the hit once again threw Kara back but this time she flew backwards out of the building.  It took a few moments for her to stop herself only to see her mother running for the exit at super-speed.  When she cleared the balcony, she leapt into the air only to begin plummeting towards the ground.

Kara had known since Winn first mentioned the U.V. lights approximating Earth’s sun were installed in the pod that her mother was slowly developing powers.  But flight was not one of them as even she and Clark hadn’t been able to defy gravity at first.  In seconds she hit her top speed and flew down,  catching her mother before she hit the ground.  Had Alura landed, she would have caused an earthquake and untold amounts of damage.  When they were back in the air, Kara spoke.

_(“Now, are you going to listen to me?  I don’t want to fight you…Mother.”)_

Alura had been terrified as she started falling, especially since waking up and adjusting to these new powers was a shock.  As this other woman wearing her family crest flew them back up into the air she started to fight again, attempting to once more use her heat vision.  But what stopped her was the word mother and her eyes immediately softened as she really took in the sight and realized she was seeing the daughter she thought she had lost so many years ago.

_(“Kara…?”)_

Kara could only nod yes through the small tears that were beginning to fall.  Her mother recognized her and her prior anger was almost forgotten as she flew them back down to the D.E.O.  When they were back inside, only Alex approached to make sure her sister and Alura weren’t hurt.

“Kara…we should take your mother back to my lab.  While all of that was an impressive display of power, I need to make sure that the effects of her hyper-sleep left no permanent damage.”

_(“What is she saying Kara?  What does she want to do to me?”)_

_(“Only to help.  Alex isn’t going to hurt you.  I promise.”)_

With Kara’s reassurance, Alura followed Alex back to the lab with her daughter in tow.  When she was settled in to the bed, Alex reconnected the machines just as J’onn returned, followed by a red and gold blur racing back into the building.  Alura was startled at first, her heart rate rising and eyes lighting up at the new person standing there, an arm wrapped around her daughter’s shoulders. 

_(“Mom…Mom, relax.  He’s not going to hurt you either.  This is Barry Allen, he’s my husband.”)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the route I wanted to take with this chapter wasn't working and this is what I thought would. I liked that they brought Kara's mother into season three of Supergirl, but I thought there might have been a little more anger on Kara's part at discovering Alura was alive all these years at first, but that would have abated at some point so I ran with that. However I did feel that Alura developing powers so quickly by our reckoning was improbable after first arriving on Earth so I reworked that a bit to fall more in line with how Clark developed his powers slowly in both the comics canon and as we saw in the Smallville series. Oh yeah, and Zod is just to good a villain to have dead as with what happened in Man Of Steel, and I decided to keep him alive for this story.


	5. Family

_(“Your husband?  Kara, I see the woman I always knew you would grow up to be standing in front of me.  I just wish I could have seen all of this with my own eyes.  I missed out on so much…I…”)_

_(“You promised you would come find me.  You and Father.  If you’ve been alive all this time…where were you?”)_

_(“Adrift in space for twenty-four years.  Argo City was all that survived Krypton’s destruction.  A fail-safe your father created…”)_

_(“Twenty-four years?! I was trapped in the Phantom Zone for that time!  How could you…?”)_

Barry could feel the anger threatening to explode from Kara, even if he couldn’t understand what she and her mother were saying.  He desperately wanted to help, to do something to calm his wife, but he also knew that letting her get this out was the only way for the healing process to begin.

_(“Kara, you have to understand, Zor and I had no way of knowing whether or not our sacrifice was successful.  We only knew; as did Jor and Lara, that we were placing all our hopes for your survival over our own.  I imagine that the shockwaves from Krypton’s destruction were the cause of your entrapment.  You have every right to be angry.”)_

_(“I am angry!  Angry that you didn’t do more to find me and Kal!  Angry that the reason you sent me to Earth was to protect my cousin but when I got here, he had grown up while I was still a child.  I…”)_

_(“…have become a hero.  You survived while I had lost all hope of ever seeing you again.  Your father would be proud of you.”)_

_(“Where is my father?  How is he not here with you?”)_

_(“Kara…your father gave his life to save Argo City.  He sacrificed himself so I could live.”)_

_(“So Argo City is still out there?  There are more Kryptonian survivors?”)_

_(“Kara…Argo is…”)_

_(“Gone as well…that’s what you’re going to tell me…so I’ve lost my home all over again.”)_

_(“If only it were that simple.  Argo City did survive the destruction of Krypton thanks to your Father and Uncle.  The last survivors of our home-world prospered and lived in peace, not making the mistakes of the High Council…”)_

_(“So what happened?  Something devastating must have occurred to cause you to flee the city.”)_

_(“The Worldkillers, they happened.  After years of drifting in space we thought that we were safe. Their ship disappeared as Krypton’s cataclysm reached the final throes. We had no idea how wrong we were. They were like a plague, and I was the last survivor. I barely escaped; hoping to find a benevolent planet that could help fight these enemies.  I had no idea that Zor’s specifications for the pods he created had a program designed to track other Kryptonians.”)_

_(“So the Worldkillers are real?  Kal and I have believed for many years that they were myth.”)_

_(“They are…or were…I can’t know for certain if they survived the destruction of Argo that they brought about.  Kara, I know my being adrift in space on Argo City is no excuse for not looking for you and Kal-El, nor is it a good reason for leaving you trapped in the Phantom Zone.  If I’d known that…I’m so sorry I didn’t keep my promise to you.”)_

Kara’s anger at her mother slowly abated as she now knew why her family had not come looking for her in all these years.  Alura had no reason to ever suspect that her daughter had survived with the overwhelming odds that destroyed the last remains of Krypton.  But she was here now, and the universe has given them a second chance.

_(“I can understand your reasoning now, Mom.  I’m sorry I let my anger get the better of me.  You’re with me now.  We can catch up on all we’ve missed; you can start a new life here on Earth.”)_

Despite the machines she was connected to Alura pulled her daughter into a hug.  Alex, Barry and J’onn each took a step back as none of them wanted to interrupt the reunion.  Over the next week J’onn worked with Alura as Barry and Kara helped her learn English, but all were unaware of the threat orbiting the Earth in the stars above.

Brainiac has been in stasis since his last failed attempt to destroy Superman.  With the exception of shrinking and taking Kandor all those years ago, his sole desire had been to eliminate Kryptonian life from the cosmos.  He found an opportunity to do so with the assistance of the Worldkillers and they very nearly succeeded.    Prior to the destruction of Krypton he had provided the four with a vessel that could track Kryptonians wherever they may go.  He had monitored the four’s progress and learned of the decimation of Argo City, in the intervening years, the tracking signal faded in and out of his vessel’s systems until the day he was defeated. 

Now the beacon has reactivated and Vril Dox is waking up.  Four separate signals alerted him to the crash landings of the escape pods.  The first crashed deep in the Arctic ocean with a Kryptonian signature following behind.  Sensors indicated that this was Kal-El himself and Brainiac knew he was ill prepared to face Superman at the moment.  The second signature disappeared over a desert in Asia.  The third also indicated an oceanic splashdown, somewhere in the Atlantic.  The fourth was the most promising as Dox’s vessel was monitoring local news reports and focused in on the sightings.

“This is the one.  This pod carried the leader of the Worldkillers.  She is the key to finding the others and completing the eradication of Kryptonian life.  She will lead to a true reign over this world, and then the universe.”

As Brainiac set his vessel on a course to follow his target, he retreated to a storage compartment that held his own remnant of Krypton.  He had learned of the effects that the green and red variants had on Superman, but this unknown version was completely untested.  Upon opening the compartment; the black rock seemed to absorb all light that shined on it, not unlike a Black Hole.

 He too had learned of the prophecy from the databanks in Kandor.  The Worldkillers were a means to an end for his conquest.  But this rock would create the one they would follow.  And that one; he knew would be his Kryptonian weapon.  It was her destiny.

Weeks passed as Brainiac tracked the Worldkiller around the globe.  Her path indicated she was searching for something.  He had no doubts as to what she was looking for; she was searching for her family.  Traveling by night to avoid the primitive humans of this world was her best option.  In her opinion this backwater world probably had little to no knowledge of aliens and she wanted to keep it that way.  Her weeks of travel had led to massive disappointment that she had yet to find the other Worldkillers and she settled in an abandoned freight train, only to have a bright light awaken her along with the feeling of weightlessness.

When the light faded and she had regained her equilibrium the Worldkiller stood up.  With a quick assessment of her surroundings she discovered that she was inside a space-faring vessel.  To her left was a viewport that looked out into vast nothingness and as she tilted her gaze downward she could see the blue-green planet below her.  In the next moment a voice resonated all around her, it was cold and metallic and in the depths of her memories, familiar.

“Greetings; Worldkiller.  Many years have passed since our last encounter.”

“Who are you?  Why have you brought me here?”

“To complete your mission.  You and your family have long been on a quest for vengeance against those that created you.”

“And what do you know of my mission?  What do you know of my family? Who. Are. You?”

“It is understandable that you would have forgotten me after all these years.  How many has it been since Argo City was decimated?  More than two decades perhaps?  I have followed you since that time.”

“I grow tired of these games.  Show yourself or I will destroy this vessel and you with it.”

“There is no need for threats, my old friend.  I have revealed myself.  I am all around you.  But if you truly wish to see me…”

Brainiac used the mechanics of his ship to create an avatar for himself.  Various pieces of metal and wiring snaked down from the ceiling and out from the walls to create a form that was as close to what he looked like at the last time he had met with the Worldkillers.  Memories started to coalesce as the Worldkiller recognized the creature standing in front of her.

“Welcome to my vessel.  I can see by the look on your face that you remember me now.”

“Yes…you are Vril Dox.  You convinced my family to rise up against our captors on Krypton.”

“I was Vril Dox, now and forever more, I am Brainiac.  And I have returned to offer you a new chance at the destruction of the last Kryptonians.”

“I am tempted to take you up on that offer.  But it cannot be done without the rest of my family.”

“I expected as much.  And I know where they are.  I can take you to them.”

“Then let us be off.  If Kryptonians still live as you claim, we will finish what we started.”

“I had hoped that would be your answer.  Vengeance will soon be yours, Reign.”

_Reign was slowly beginning to remember more than just her name and purpose.  Being on Brainiac’s vessel was unlocking the keys to her past and one name sprung to the forefront of her mind…Zor-El._


	6. Mars

During the week that J’onn had been helping Alura with acclimating to Earth, he still found himself restless.  His last trip to his home planet had led to some startling revelations and the possibility that he was not the last Green Martian.  After the violent White Martians had invaded Earth in December last year one of them had suggested that a group of Green Martians survived the purge and took refuge on Earth.  This thought plagued J’onn and left him unable to meditate.  Finally he realized he had to know for sure.  With Kara, Barry and Alex helping Alura, he knew he could return to Mars one more time. 

Upon arriving on the planet, his telepathy was instantly assaulted.  At first he thought it was the ghosts of his people haunting him as he had been transported to Earth shortly after the deaths of his wife and daughters.  Clutching his head, he fell to his knees and let out a yell that would have woken the dead. Though he tried to block out the multitude of voices screaming at him, he was unsuccessful and failed to sense the presence quickly approaching.  In moments, a cloak was thrown around his shoulders.  This figure helped him escape as a small fraction of the White Martians had also heard his scream and were not far away and prepared to investigate.

J’onn and his savior had little time to escape the approaching enemy and were almost caught.  With little time before they were set upon, the unknown rescuer used telepathy to mask their presence from their pursuers.  As they blended into the desolate landscape, the White Martians ran past them.  Now in the clear, the hooded figure led the Martian Manhunter towards a cave where they would be safe and all would be revealed.

J’onn was disoriented as his mind was still ringing with the voices of the dead.  While he had been unable to sense the approaching stranger, he had felt it when the cloak was draped over his shoulders and he was rushed off to who knows where.  Slowly, his mind began to clear and when he could look around he took in his surroundings though the area was dark. 

“Where am I?  Who are you and why have you brought me here?”

“Patience J’onn J’onnz, all will be revealed in time.  Please let your mind clear before you attempt to interrogate me.  The walls of this cave will block out the telepathic remains of your slain people.”

J’onn could feel his mind beginning to calm and no longer heard the ghosts from his past.  Though he was angry, he was also mystified that his rescuer knew his name.  In the back of his mind, the thought of this being some sort of trap made him keep his guard up. 

“How do you know my name?  Why have you brought me here?”

“I know everything about you J’onn.  I sensed your presence the last time you came to Mars after our ancient enemies invaded the planet you call home.  And I brought you here to save your life from those same enemies.”

“Earth, it is my home.  Mars has not been for many years.  But you have not answered my question.  How do you know me, and who are you?”

“I had hoped that our first meeting would go better than this.  You have no reason to trust me.”

“You’re right, I don’t.  So let me go.”

“I can’t do that.  I did bring you here for a reason.  And I can see that there’s only one way I can earn your trust.”

With an audible sigh, J’onn’s savior removed the mask with a built in voice modulator.  Upon speaking again, the voice took on a more feminine timbre and she knew that the revelation of her identity was going to be a massive shock and had to ease him into it, slowly removing her hood.

“I’m sorry that I had to hide my nature from you J’onn.  I didn’t know how you would react to meeting me especially after believing you were the only Green Martian left.”

With her hood pulled back and her voice now more compassionate, dim lights were brightened so she and J’onn could meet face to face.  As his eyes cleared he could see that she had long red hair, green skin like his, and was dressed in a uniform similar to his though it was white and blue with the red markings across the chest while his was black.

“Now that you can see me, I hope you’ll begin to trust me.  I did bring you here to save your life.  You are the last family I have.  My name is M’gann M’orzz.  You’re my Uncle.”

J’onn fell silent in response to M’gann’s revelation.  He had long believed his entire family had died in the White Martian’s attacks.  He wanted to refute her comment, his trust being something she still had to earn.  She could sense his confusion even without reading his mind.  J’onn’s emotions were like a tidal wave to her mind and she had to temporarily shut off her telepathy lest she catch a stray thought or read his mind without permission.

“I can understand that this must be confusing for you, Uncle.  For years you’ve believed that you were the last of our kind.  That was true for the longest time.  When I was born, the White Martians had already wiped out our kind.  All except for you and me.  I was just a baby when they found me.  Knowing that a baby Green was valuable, they took me…”

“How would you know all this if you were just a baby?”

“I’m getting there, I promise.  I was brought to their leader by the scouts that found me.  He believed I could be used as a weapon due to the long held belief that more Greens than I had survived.  I was experimented on, forced to age at an accelerated rate.  Physically, I’m likely as old as you are, but mentally, my captors kept me living as a teenager.  They believed that if they kept my mind in a certain level of immaturity I could be easily manipulated.  They would have succeeded if not for one of their kind who rebelled and saved me.”

“I’m not sure I can believe this story M’gann.  The White Martians were vile, and bloodthirsty.  They blamed our kind for relegating them to the subterranean levels of Mars.  Centuries they spent cultivating that belief, fostering hatred in their young until the dam broke and they attacked, committing genocide.  I could only watch as my wife and daughters were killed in the war, right before I was taken to Earth.”

“I know.  My White Martian benefactor told me the stories about the Manhunters.  She had heard of you specifically and said you were one of the bravest of all.  She even knew your father.”

“My father is dead.  He was killed in the purge as well.  He was a man of peace, wanted nothing to do with the war.”

“Exactly, this is why she saved me.  She didn’t even know I was related to you, but your father showed her a better way.  He taught her that she could be more than what her nature demanded.  We remained hidden for years, surviving however we could until we found a way to Earth.  Sadly, her body didn’t adapt as well as mine.  She died and I never even learned her name.”

“So if you’ve been on Earth, why did either of you not try to find me?  If we’re family as you say, I could have helped you, especially after she died.”

“Because we didn’t know you had survived.”

“You contradict yourself; just moments ago you told me you knew I had been taken to Earth.”

“I learned that only recently.  You kept yourself well hidden among the humans, Uncle. I saw the footage on my T.V.  I was there on Earth when you were being used to attack National City.  I hope you’ll tell me what happened someday.  Right now, it doesn’t matter.  What matters is that neither of us is alone anymore.  We can be the family for each other that we both lost.”

J’onn wants to believe M’gann and everything she’s telling him.  There’s just something in the back of his mind that doesn’t add up about her story.  But she did save him from a group of White Martians that would have killed him if they found him.  He knows his hesitancy is coming from Despero controlling him, Henshaw trying to kill him, and despite Kara and Alex being like daughters, he’s really holding on to the hope that he was never the last of his kind.  He’d seen what that did to Kal-El before Kara landed on Earth. 

“All right M’gann, let’s say I believe you.  If you are my niece as you claim, who was your father?  Why do you carry the last name M’orzz?”

“M’orzz is my Mother’s surname.  She was kind, also only wanted peace between all of Martian kind.  One day she met a fellow Green Martian who claimed to be working towards that peace.  But he had a darker side that he kept hidden from her for all the years they worked together.  I only know bits and pieces of their history from my benefactor, but they started as colleagues, became friends, and then lovers.  I was born just before he revealed his true nature.”

M’gann has to pause as she is about to recount some of the darker aspects of her father’s history.  Talking about this still hurts to this day, but she knows that J’onn has a right to learn the truth if he’s going to trust her.  Accepting that she can’t keep this a secret she slowly begins to speak again.

“My father was not who my mother thought he was.  Everything about him had been falsified as he believed that the peaceful nature of our kind was the wrong way to live.  No one ever suspected that he was the one who supplied the White Martians with the weaponry used to annihilate the Green.  Weapons that were provided to him by Darkseid of Apokolips…”

J’onn can feel the anger and sadness coming from M’gann as she pauses again.  In his mind he could suspect who she was talking about and an intense feeling of dread filled the pit of his stomach as he had an idea of the name that was about to be spoken.

“Uncle, my father was your twin brother Malefic J’onnz.”

A feeling of rage exploded in J’onn’s heart as his father had long decried Malefic’s violent nature.  The brothers were constantly at odds with each other, even in their youth.  While it had started as nothing more than sibling rivalry, Malefic grew bitter and resentful as J’onn was always the favored son.  He could do no wrong while Malefic only wanted their father’s approval.  But J’onn had always loved his brother, going so far as to defend him to their father on multiple occasions. 

“What did he do M’gann?  What happened to your mother?”

“He killed her and then claimed it was a White Martian that had done so.  I know you’re wondering how I could know this, and it wasn’t my benefactor who told me.  I felt my mother’s death through the telepathic bond she imprinted on me.  Even as a baby, nothing is stronger than the love of a parent for their child."

J’onn knew that all too well.  He had watched constantly as anytime his daughters were sick, or having nightmares, they always sought out their mother.  Even as they got older, the bond was always there.  He had a similar bond with the girls, but not as strong due to his position as a Manhunter keeping him busy dispensing justice on Mars.  Now he believes he has a second chance.  He may have a family on Earth with the D.E.O. but with M’gann he has someone who truly understands where they come from.  He has a last member of his family that he can get to know, and his next actions shock her as he pulls her into a hug.

“Uncle, what are you doing?”

“This is a form of showing affection among humankind.  It is called a hug.  In your time on Earth, you have never experienced this?”

“No…my benefactor and I stayed hidden until I was old enough to protect myself.  It wasn’t ideal being isolated as we were, but it allowed us to survive.  I didn’t even know what a T.V. was before I got restless after she died.  I…”

M’gann stops talking as J’onn’s hug becomes even more comforting.  At first she was confused at what she was feeling, but finally loosened up and returned the hug, wrapping her arms around his back.  While she let herself get slightly lost in it, she kept her mind focused on their surroundings and sensed when the White Martians had departed.  J’onn looked down at his newly discovered niece and made an offer he wasn’t even sure he was prepared for.

“M’gann, how would you like to come home to Earth with me?”

“Uncle…yes!”

“Good, I promise, you’ll never be alone again.”

“Neither will you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow up to chapter 5's theme of family. A deviation from the main Barry/Kara relationship, but the story needed it what with will be coming in future chapters. We're not yet to the point that the Worldkillers have been reunited but we're getting there. Also, I enjoyed how M'gann was played up as J'onn's niece both in the comics and Young Justice. Yes, she's actually a White Martian but as this is an alternate universe story, she could actually be both. Enjoy and as always I own nothing, I just enjoy writing about comic book characters. Feel free to comment and let me know what you think.


	7. Time Away

With the ever present threat of the Worldkillers, the entire D.E.O. was on edge, though there had been no reports whatsoever as to where this threat was or even if it was on Earth.  Barry and Kara had remained with her mother as much as possible, and Alura ended up being a remarkably quick study and was speaking nearly perfect English.  She could sense how nervous Barry was when they were around each other and when Kara had to go into action as Supergirl, she took the opportunity to broach the subject.

“Barry…

“Alura…hi…I was just…”

“Barry, you don’t need to be so nervous around me.  I can see how much Kara loves you.  More importantly the last time you were in the City Central…”

“Central City?”

“Yes…dealing with whatever threats your friends and family encountered, Kara and I talked about you.”

“Only good things I hope?”

Barry let out a nervous chuckle that did not go unnoticed by Alura.  She knows from Kara that even though he’s a meta-human and deals with the impossible on a daily basis, the young man still has a small amount of difficulty wrapping his head around the fact that aliens exist.  Especially since he’s married to one and there are times she seems just as human as he is.

“Barry, Kara has told me that the two of you have been together for over a year now.  My daughter will never have anything but good things to say about you.  She even says you saved her life.  So for that; you have my gratitude.”

“To be honest, I’m not sure I really did much.  I don’t even remember doing what Kara said I did.”

“How you saved her from someone called Live Wire?  How you were completely composed of pure energy?”

“Yeah that…it all still feels like a blur and…”

“I kind of understand that…I find that running tests on your physiology would be fascinating…on Krypton we didn’t have people like you.”

“I’m not sure how to take that…uh…”

“Sorry, it’s the scientist in me; I may have been the Chief Judicator for Krypton, but at heart I was always dedicated to the advancement of science, like my husband.”

Barry relaxed as Alura realized her words could have been offensive to him.  She may be speaking his native tongue, but she still has much to learn in the way Earthlings live and work.

“I’m not offended, I’m a scientist also.  It’s just Kara has told me that you were always more focused on justice for your planet.  She told me about Astra…”

“Actions I regret having to take.  I tried so hard to get my sister to listen to reason…to work with us instead of against us in the fight for survival.  If not for Non’s destructive influence I may have succeeded.  But sadly…”

“Fort Rozz…I know.  Kara told me everything.  It is how we started to build our relationship over similar losses in our lives.”

“Who did you lose?”

“My Mom…I was eleven.  A time traveling speedster came back from the future to kill me…before I could become the Flash.  Back then I couldn’t even have suspected what my life would become.  But I had to watch my Mom die and my Dad be arrested for it…”

Alura can see how difficult it is for Barry to tell her of this tragedy.  But the fact that he’s being so open though he barely knows her, is a good sign of trust.  He’s about to continue when Kara flies back in; looking no worse for wear except for the small amount of dust on her uniform and in her hair. 

“So…what did I miss?”

“Not much Kara…Barry and I were just discussing his…”

Kara can see the single tear rolling down Barry’s face and she knew that he had been telling her mother about his parents.  Though she had just been in a massive battle with a Meta who had the ability to create sandstorms, she still wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a comforting embrace.  Thankfully, her mother went for a change of subject.

“You know Kara…you and Barry have been spending time with me for the past week and a half.  I feel like I’m keeping you from something and I know he would have rather been out there with you in the fight…”

“I would have been if not for still needing to recover from the injury Icicle caused to my calf muscle.  I’m still healing Alura…”

“I know.  But you two have been married for only a short time now.  You shouldn’t put your plans on hold for me.”

“Mom…we can’t leave right now…Central and National need Flash and Supergirl.  And with the threat of the Worldkillers…”

“I won’t hear any more of this.  Our lives are fleeting and you two should enjoy every minute you have together.” 

Barry and Kara both immediately noticed the hint of sadness in Alura’s words.  Although it had been twenty-four years since she lost her husband, the pain of watching him die would always be in the back of her mind. 

“The Worldkiller threat is still unsubstantiated at this point and from what you’ve told me; Kal-El is doing everything he can to find out if they’re here.  I insist that you take some time away and celebrate your wedding…what do they call it on Earth?”

“A honeymoon, Mom.  I still don’t think this is the right time…”

“I have to agree with Kara…leaving our cities right now is…”

“Stop.  The D.E.O. seems well equipped to handle any threats National City may face and I’m sure your friends in Central would tell you the same thing Barry.  You two give your all to protect and save lives.  Take some time for each other.  You have to know you’ve earned it.  Besides if the Worldkillers are here, there will be time enough for a fight.  Don’t let these moments of peace go to waste.”

Kara shrugged because she knew her mother was right in her statement.  She was leaving the decision up to Barry because National would be well taken care of, Central on the other hand was more of a concern given that it didn’t have the D.E.O. He took a few moments to think it over and finally made a decision.

“Your Mom’s right Kara.  There’s always going to be another threat.  Right now we’ve been running ourselves ragged.  We should do this.  We haven’t had any alone time since before the wedding.  And remember, for six months I was technically dead before coming home for you…”

“I haven’t forgotten about that Barry…but are you sure?  National may be able to handle being without Supergirl for a week or two…but Central?  Can we leave it unprotected?”

“We won’t.  I’ve got an idea.  So what do you say Mrs. Allen?”

“I say…let’s do it…as long as we go somewhere that there’s plenty of sunshine and a beach.”

“We can go anywhere to find that Kara.  Just need to stop in to Central and let our friends know about the plan.”

Given that winter was fast approaching and Barry’s injury required time, Kara’s decision of a warmer location for their honeymoon was extremely appropriate.  So while he took the flight Alex offered, she took off for her apartment for a shower and change of clothes before she would meet him there.  Upon arriving Barry was surprised but pleased to see Harry in the Speed Labs with Jesse.  The next moment provided a shock for all of the team as a bolt of lightning  came running into the building.

“You guys are never going to believe what happened to me.”

“Wally?”

“Yeah; it’s me Barry.  Looks like Harry’s experiment to bring your powers back did affect me after all.”

“But…how…when?”

“I’m not really sure of the how.  But the when was a few weeks ago.  You know why I took the time away?”

“After Zoom…and…”

“Yeah…well a few weeks ago I was minding my own business, still trying to figure out why Jesse had gotten powers but I didn’t.  I decided to take a walk through my old neighborhood when two cars came careening around a curve way too fast…”

“Street racers…”

“Yeah Dad, but they weren’t what I was worried about the most.  There was this little girl playing in her front yard and her ball went rolling out into the street.  In the next instant time seemed to stop and next thing I know, I’m standing in her yard, ball in hand.”

“Wally…you’re a speedster now.”

“Barry Allen…master of the obvious…”

“Come on Wally; Barry was just trying to point out that…”

“I know Dad.  I’m just still trying to get used to all of this.  At first I was jealous of Barry…thought that he was more…”

“Wally, you know you and Barry are not rivals.  I’d be proud of the both of you whether you have powers or not.”

“I know that now, and Barry, I owe you an apology for the way I acted when I first showed up…”

“It’s all right Wally.”

“Anyway…now that I’ve got these powers…I need to learn to control them.  I was hoping you could train me.”

“Anytime Wally…but the thing is…”

Before Barry could finish, Kara came flying in, and quickly changed out of her Supergirl uniform into more casual attire with a pair suitcases at her feet.   She didn’t even notice the newcomer and she walked over to Barry and pecked him on the lips.

“Got us all packed, Barry.  Ready to go?”

“Yeah Kara…in just a minute…I’m kind of…”

Kara turned to see all the shocked faces staring behind her and one very confused young man staring directly at her, his jaw hanging open in disbelief.

“Barry…is…is she a speedster too?  I didn’t know we could fly!”

“Yeah sorry Wally, we can’t fly.  Kara is…well…she’s…

“Barry…who is this?  I thought I’d met all your friends and family?”

“Sorry…Kara…; meet Wally West.  He’s…”

“Hi…, I’m Joe’s son.  I didn’t know Team Flash had picked up a new hero in the months I was gone.  So Kara…what can you do?  And can I take you out to dinner sometime?”

“Well…ehm…Wally…I’m Supergirl.  And while I’m extremely flattered that you’d like to take me out to dinner, I’m kind of married…”

“To me.”

Wally turned away from Barry and Kara after the former spoke up, desperately trying to hide his embarrassment about hitting on his foster brother’s wife.  For their part, the couple just laughed and shook it off as Joe once again brought up the point Barry was trying to make just before Wally came in.

“So what was so urgent that we all had to be here Barr?  When you got here you were…”

“I’m taking some time away Joe.  Kara and I…well we never got our honeymoon and we’ve been running ourselves ragged ever since her mother came crashing to Earth in a Kryptonian pod a few weeks ago…”

“Wait…wait…Kara…repeat that?”

“I’m still trying to figure everything out myself; Joe.  The long and short of it is that my mother survived the destruction of our home planet.  Her pod brought her to Earth.  She’s safe in National City and she encouraged Barry and I to go on our honeymoon.”

“Well the two of you certainly deserve it…but what about protecting Central and National?  Who…”

“National City is taken care of.  And I was thinking that I’d go see Jay.  His Jesse might just be ready for a new challenge.  And she could help Wally with learning about his powers.”

“Hey what about me?  Is Earth 2’s Jesse Quick getting replaced already?”

“Sorry Jesse…of course I would have thought about you first.  It’s just been a while since we’ve seen you outside of the wedding.  I remember your powers had been fluctuating.”

“They were, but they seem to have stabilized.  I think I might have been holding myself back.  Partly because I didn’t think I could be the hero that you are, Barry.”

“What did I tell you Jesse, don’t try to be another me, just be you.  Sure you’re going to make mistakes, things won’t always go right.  But it’s how you deal with the whole world telling you that you’re not good enough that builds character.  A hero gets back up and fights no matter how many times they get knocked down.”

Jesse rolled her eyes at Barry reminding her of his belief in her.  Her father had wanted her to stay out of the hero life, but when Barry was up against two massive threats, she couldn’t stay on the sidelines.  It was then that Harry finally encouraged her to use her powers.  With that reminder in place, she knows how she can repay Barry.

“You should take some time off Barry.  You and Kara both deserve your honeymoon.  I’ll stay here and help out.  I can even help train Wally.  Go.”

Barry and Kara looked around the Cortex and all of their friends and family were nodding in agreement.  The couple had more than earned their time away and they knew Central City like National City would be in good hands.  Before they left, they both packed their uniforms as they knew that there was a chance something could happen that would require Flash and Supergirl.  It was a course of action that Caitlin questioned.

“Do you two really plan on engaging in super-heroics on your honeymoon?”

“Come on Cait…you know we always have to be prepared.”

Cisco and Caitlin laughed at Barry’s comment because he was never far from his uniform and couldn’t honestly stop being a hero even for a minute.  Kara was the same way.  As they stepped out of Star Labs, Joe offered to drive them to the airport because as a wedding gift he booked them a flight to and a hotel in Oahu.

“Thank you Joe, but we have to stop in Smallville first.”

“Why there; Kara?”

“Uncle Jon and Aunt Martha couldn’t make it to the wedding with him in the hospital so Barry and I agreed we’d go see them.”

“Well I hope you two have fun.  I agree with Jesse, you two need this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter to get Barry and Kara to take some time for themselves and enjoy their honeymoon without worrying about either Central or National City. Needed to slow things down just a bit with these past few chapters, but will be getting back to the Worldkillers in the next one.


	8. Worldkiller

Zod spent hours telling Clark everything he knew about the Worldkillers.  Initially there were five, but one left during the years of peace on Krypton. He knew they had been bred only for war and destruction, not to protect their captors.  He had always seen the Kryptonian Science Guild as slavers.  He was known as Worldkiller-1.  The other four remained biding their time until they knew an enemy would come that was more than they could handle.  The four were Reign, Deimax, Perrilus and Flower of Heaven. 

“The Worldkillers are a threat far greater than you can handle Kal-El.  Reign, Deimax, and Perrilus each possess superhuman strength.  In addition with the exception of Deimax, Reign and Perrilus share some of the same powers that we do on Earth.  Flight, superhuman speed, stamina and durability.  Reign alone is more than a match for you.”

“She’s not unbeatable.”

“Alone…of course not.  But with the other three by her side they will do what they were created to do.  And that is to destroy Earth as they did Krypton.  Perrilus is also capable of Toxikinesis.”

“We’re invulnerable on Earth.”

“She doesn’t need to be able to cut you to poison you.  Although Deimax is vulnerable to certain toxins.  That is the only advantage you will have if this comes down to a war.”

“What about the fourth Worldkiller?  You have yet to mention the fourth.”

“The fourth is the greatest threat of all.  Her name is Flower of Heaven.  She has the power of flight, energy projection with what she referred to as a thermal-blast.  She is also capable of energy absorption.  I imagine that she was the true cause of our home’s final destruction.  If the Worldkillers are here, you must realize you have no hope.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Zod.  As long as life exists, there is always hope.”

“A foolish sentiment Kal-El.  Earth is doomed.  Now I have answered your questions.  Leave me.”

“Fine…but you should know that I know of your history before Faora’s death…”

Zod quickly stood and sneered in disgust as Clark mentioned Faora again.  He had warned his longtime adversary to refrain from mentioning her, but the hero pressed on, ignoring Zod’s anger.

“You were the bravest warrior Krypton had ever known.  You were highly respected by the High Council…and you were once a friend of my Father.  You even disobeyed a direct order to arrest him and my Uncle.”

“And when I did it was your Father who acted on orders from that very same High Council who sentenced me to the Phantom Zone.  Your pleas…your blatant attempts at flattery will get you nowhere Kal-El.  I will not help you fight the Worldkillers.”

“Then I guess I was wrong.  You will always think of yourself before others.  Go on Zod…be what the Council turned you into.  Nothing more than a selfish; self-absorbed villain.  Prove that they were right to have my Father banish you and your followers to the Phantom Zone.”

Zod fell back to his seat as Clark turned to depart.  While he refused to believe that anything the son of Jor-El said could sway him, the General knew that his enemy wasn’t wrong and his pride was burning as he remembered the years of loyalty he had to Krypton.  Even now, as he thinks back to all those years ago when he tried to conquer Earth, he didn’t want to see the planet destroyed.  In his mind his intentions were altruistic, even if Kal-El was correct in calling the attempt misguided.  In a way, Jor-El’s son embodied the best of their friendship before the end.

While Clark was in the Arctic, Brainiac had implemented his plan of retrieving the other Worldkillers.  One by one, he tracked their landing sites and created a pod for Reign to travel undetected to Earth.  Three separate trips she made as the pod was equipped to carry only the pilot and one passenger at a time.  Over a period of twenty-four hours, she rescued the remainder of her family.  All three were still in an extreme state of hyper-sleep as the destruction of their vessel had been violent.  The vessel had suffered greatly in the cataclysm of Krypton and was barely being held together up to the destruction of Argo City.  The remaining three were kept in stasis as Brainiac healed them of their injuries. 

Days passed as one by one the Worldkillers slowly awoke.  The first to regain consciousness was Deimax.  Her greatest strength lay in terrain destruction and on the ground she was a force of nature not to be trifled with.  Her destruction of the ground around Krypton’s core allowed Flower of Heaven the access she needed to absorb the energies of the planet.

“Deimax, welcome back sister.”

“Where am I?  This place is unfamiliar to me.”

“You have been asleep for several years after we traveled the cosmos in search of Kryptonian life.  You remember the destruction of Argo City?”

Deimax blinked her orange eyes as her memories of her creation on Krypton and the planet’s subsequent destruction at the hands of her and her sisters came crashing into each other.  As the hyper-sleep faded, she looked up to a familiar sight.

“Reign.  I remember when we decimated Argo City.  We left it destroyed along with the Kryptonians who inhabited it.”

“We did, but our mission is not yet complete.  There were more Kryptonian survivors.  These are directly related to our creator, Zor-El.”

“Then we must finish what we started.”

“We will; in time.  Our other two sisters have yet to awaken and we must still regain our full strength.  Only then will the last children of Krypton burn.”

The next day Perrilus woke in much the same way that Deimax had.  She was groggy and confused as to her surroundings but began to remember as Reign gave her the same speech she gave previously to Deimax.  Brainiac was strangely absent despite their being aboard his vessel.  In truth neither Reign nor her sisters cared much as he had promised them a chance at vengeance.  Flower of Heaven took the longest to recover and wake as her absorption of both Argo’s energy shield and core overwhelmed her powers. 

“Reign…has our long journey at last come to an end.  Have we eliminated all Kryptonian life from the universe?”

“Not yet, sister.  Kryptonian life still exists on the primitive planet beneath us.  How many, I do not know…but until they are exterminated our mission remains unfinished.”

“Then we shall destroy them and the planet they now call home.”

“I see that your family has finally awakened Reign; and they have all remembered their purpose.  But one Kryptonian must survive.  The prophecy indicates that she will be the doom for this planet.  She will lead the Worldkillers towards victory.”

Reign’s eyes burned with anger at Brainiac’s words.  She and her sisters have never cared for prophecies and for him to insinuate that a Kryptonian would take her place as leader of the Worldkillers ignited an explosive rage.

“You forget your place Dox.  You may have convinced my family to rise against Krypton, but if not for us joining you, your plans would have failed.  I will bow down before no Kryptonian, nor will my sisters.”

“A pity then…perhaps I have less use for you than I thought.  The prophecy will not be denied; Worldkiller.  Fate has decreed that only the last daughter of Krypton has the power to bring this planet to an end.  Allow me to show you the element that will birth her.”

Brainiac led his allies to his secret weapon.  As before when he began tracking the Worldkillers, he opened the compartment to reveal the black rock.  The radiation it began emitting gave pause to Reign, Deimax and Perrilus.  Only Flower of Heaven reached for the rock, to be stopped as Dox turned his metallic hand into a vice grip that halted her progress.

“Have care with this last remnant of Krypton.  It contains powers unknown and could destroy your very being.  This kryptonite must remain untouched until your confrontation with this last daughter.  You; Reign will be the one to bring her to her knees.”

Brainiac sealed the kryptonite back in to the compartment as his vessel continued to orbit Earth. Through the viewport on the bridge he and the Worldkillers watched the planet with sadistic pride as the humans and Kryptonians inhabiting the planet were ignorant of their coming fate.


	9. Smallville

Barry was nervous about setting foot on the Kent family farm.  Central City has been his home since the day he was born.  Without the noise and daily grind of city life, he feels ill at ease.  The open farmland and expansive acreage feel overwhelming and he still has to meet Clark’s adoptive parents who by are extension are Kara’s Aunt and Uncle.  While he can imagine Kara spent a lot of time here with Clark despite living in Midvale with the Danvers, he can guess she’ll fit right in; he knows that he’ll be so out of place.  Only when they’re out of the rental car and Kara wraps her arm around his waist does he begin to relax.

“Barry…what’s wrong?”

“I feel like a fish out of water…I’ve lived in the city my whole life and being in these surroundings is just…”

“I know how you feel.  Clark grew up on this farm and when you come from a certain way of life like you and I did, a change of environment can be somewhat of a shellshock.  I was nervous the first time I came to the Kent Farm as well.”

“You were?”

“Yeah…it was only a brief stay before Clark took me to the Danvers.  My first experience with my heat vision happened here.  I nearly barbecued a cow.”

Kara’s smile and admission brings a chuckle out of Barry as she looks over at him.  He’s still nervous about meeting Jon and Martha, but knowing that she had a similar reaction to the Kent Farm helps him regain his composure.  They start walking forward again when the sound of a dog barking hits their ears and the animal comes bounding across the land to jump on Kara and lick her face.  The dog’s exuberance knocked her off her feet and into the grass.

“Shelby…I missed you too, buddy.  Have you been taking good care of Uncle Jon and Aunt Martha?”

Barry couldn’t help but smile as he watched Kara lovingly scratch behind Shelby’s ears causing the dog to bark again and wriggle his body from head to tail at the attention he was getting.  For Barry this was a very domestic sight and had him hoping that when he and Kara get a house of their own, they look into adopting a dog.  

“Of course he is Kara.  You know Clark wouldn’t just take in a stray if he wasn’t absolutely sure the dog would be a good companion.”

Barry had reached down to pet Shelby when a woman’s voice spoke up from downfield of where they were.  Shelby bounded off to walk by her side as she came forward.  Upon first glance, the woman was nothing like he had expected.  As a C.S.I. he could tell that she had an inner strength and confidence that matched his Mother’s. She was casually dressed in a pair of jeans, work boots and a Smallville Crows sweatshirt.  Life on the farm had clearly been good to her as her hair was still a vibrant red, only starting to gray at the temples.

“Aunt Martha…it’s been too long…”

“I know…but I’m sure Supergirl has been quite busy defending the world and I know Kara Danvers has been with her career at Cat Co.  Not to mention getting married recently.  Hi…you must be Barry Allen…I’m Martha Kent.”

Martha stuck her hand out and Barry immediately took the handshake in greeting.  He was still nervous but the woman in front of him had a kind smile on her face and was nothing but welcoming.

“Yes…Mrs. Kent…I have to say that…uh…well…”

“Barry, relax.  This has to be your first time away from the city.  I’m sure Kara has told you about her first visit…and I’m going to tell you something that I’ve never told anyone…I was just as nervous about moving to this farm as you are at visiting it.”

“You aren’t from Smallville?”

“No…I grew up in Metropolis.  My father was a lawyer in the city.  I never thought that this would be my life until after I met Jonathan in a finance class at Met. U.  Anyway, let’s not stand outside here talking, let’s go in the house.  Jonathan is excited to see you Kara.”

“I imagine.  I’ve missed you two.  How’s he doing since the heart attack?”

“It’s been a struggle; we really hated missing your wedding.  But come on…you’ve only got one day here right?”

“Right…Barry’s adoptive father booked us a hotel in Hawaii.  Let us just get our suitcases…”

“Go on Kara…I’ll get them.”

“Thanks Barry…so Aunt Martha…”

Barry turned back to the car and grabbed the suitcases out of the trunk while Kara and Martha walked back towards the house.  Soon they were far enough away that he couldn’t hear their voices except for the occasional laugh that echoed across the fields.  As he closed the trunk he felt Shelby sniffing at his legs.

“Hey Shelby…curious about the newcomer?”

Barry kneeled down, extending his right hand out to scratch behind the dog’s ears as he had seen Kara do.  His hand was met with an inquisitive sniff before the appendage became the recipient of a slobbery kiss.  Barry slowly stood up as Shelby bounded back off towards the farm house.  With a quick wipe of his hand on his jeans he grabbed both suitcases and chuckled to himself.

“I guess that means I’m welcome here.  Still a better introduction than I got when meeting Clark and Lois.”

When Barry got to the porch Kara was hugging her Uncle Jon as Martha came back with four empty glasses and a pitcher of hot tea.  It was December and winter was not far off though the weather was still only just beginning to get colder.  Barry could only smile at the quiet scene taking place before him until Jonathan broke the hug and quickly appraised the young man.  Likewise, Barry was appraising the older man. 

Jonathan Kent appeared to be a mountain of a man, his skin weathered and his sandy blonde hair starting to show signs of gray.  His blue eyes had an intensity that spoke off all his years on the farm and hardship as well as triumph in regards to the life he had lived.  Like Martha he was dressed for work with a darker pair of jeans with slight tears at the knees and a flannel shirt, unbuttoned over a white t-shirt.

“So…you’re Barry Allen.  Clark has told us about you.  You don’t look like you’re cut out for the farmer’s life.”

Barry wasn’t sure how to react to Jonathan’s appraisal although Kara and Martha both had to hide a snicker.  Both women knew that Jonathan was teasing Barry as he waited for the younger man to speak.  For a moment, Barry wasn’t able to reply but when he remembered his first meeting with Clark, he knew he had to show confidence, but any confidence he thought he could muster might just be about to fly out the window.

“Well Sir; I grew up in Central City and this is my first time on a farm.  But I’m no stranger to hard work.  I’m a C.S.I. for Central City P.D. and…”

“And the Flash.  We know.”

“Mr. Kent…I…um…well…”

“Don’t worry Barry.  Martha and I have been through this with Clark.  We know how important your civilian life is outside of the uniform.  Honestly, we’re glad Kara found someone she can relate to other than Clark.  You’re family now son, and you’ll always have a place here if you ever need it.”

Barry was immediately grateful that Jonathan and Martha were so welcoming of him.  The feeling makes him think back to his vows to Kara and how since he became the Flash he’s been expected to shoulder the weight of Central City with little time for himself.  But in this moment, he’s found more family than he ever thought possible.

“Thank you Mr. Kent.”

“You’re welcome Barry; now why don’t you and Kara go get settled in to the guest room…she knows where it is…and we’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”

 Barry followed Kara with their suitcases and Shelby also following along.  While the room was smaller than the bedroom in his apartment, it had a cozy feel and the walk in closet had enough room for both his and her clothing.  Nestled up against the wall was the dog bed Shelby instantly crawled into while Kara took a seat on the queen size bed as he set the suitcases in the closet.

“You still look tense Barry.  You okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure?  Uncle Jon and Aunt Martha already seem to love you…this isn’t just about being on the farm, is it?”

“You can see through me so well.”

“X-ray vision…”

Barry chuckled at Kara’s joke before sighing and sitting down next to her, then taking her hand in his. He was worried and it had nothing to do with the farm or Jonathan and Martha. 

“Is it crazy that I’m still worried about Central City; Kara?  Joe and everyone told us we deserve this, that we need this time away.”

“We’ve earned it.  But you feel like we’re being selfish.  You know that I feel the same.  Joe did say we should go, so did my Mother. While Alex knows; J’onn doesn’t.  I’m not sure if he’s come back from Mars yet.  You’re worried something will happen while we’re gone.”

“Yeah…”

“I am too.  Despite what my Mother says, the Worldkillers are a dangerous threat.  I know Clark is doing everything he can to find them if they are here.  We just have to trust that our friends and family will be okay.”

Kara quickly patted his knee before lounging back on the bed.  The flight wasn’t long from Central to Smallville, but she never had liked being cooped up in an airplane when she could fly on her own.  With a few hours to go until they would be called down for dinner, she extended her arms out to Barry as he laid down beside her, and wrapped in each other’s embrace quickly dozed off.  Downstairs; Jonathan and Martha were talking as the latter prepared dinner for them and their guests.

“You don’t like him, do you Jonathan?”

“Barry?”

“Who else would I be talking about?”

“He seems to be a good kid.  I just remember Clark telling us how devastated Kara was when she thought Barry had died in February.  I’m not even going to pretend I understand his powers and whatever this Speed Force that he came back from is…”

“There you go again…being the overprotective Dad…he reminds you of Clark.”

“Yeah…yeah he does.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about him Jonathan.  Remember that Clark also told us how impressed he was when Barry stood up to him on their first meeting.  And he really loves Kara…I don’t think he’d ever intentionally break her heart.”

“I know…and you’re right, I’m worrying for nothing.”

“Of course I am.  Since you’ve got to go into town, why don’t you see if he wants to come along?  It would give the two of you a better chance to get to know each other.”

Barry and Kara had been asleep for half an hour when a quiet knock sounded at the door of their guest bedroom.  With her super hearing Kara heard the knock and shuffled out of the bed and Barry’s arm that had been draped across her waist. 

“Uncle Jon?”

“Sorry…didn’t mean to wake you…the flight must have been tiring.”

“And the battle with a sand monster…what’s up?”

“I...; never-mind.  Let’s just say I never really did get used to the adventures you and Clark have…”

“Despite how many years it’s been now, right?”

Jonathan chuckled before resuming his train of thought as Barry got up and joined Kara at the door.

“Yeah, no kidding.  Anyway…I have to run into town and wanted to see if you’d like to come along Barry.  Forecasts are calling for an early snow and there are a few supplies we need.”

“Yeah…I’ll come along.  It’s not every day I get to see how Superman grew up.”

Jonathan rolled his eyes as Barry stepped out the door after slipping his shoes back on.  Kara just smirked because as she thinks back to hers and Barry’s first meeting, he impressed her by saying that while all his friends wanted to be Superman, he didn’t have the same thought.

“Kara…your Aunt Martha could use your help in the kitchen.  We won’t be gone long.”

The drive to town was relatively quiet as Barry took in the sights from the passenger side window of Jonathan’s truck.  Storm clouds seemed to be rolling in from the North and Barry couldn’t help but be concerned.  Jonathan clearly noticed and turned the radio down to talk to his companion.

“Barry…you okay?”

“Yeah…I just…”

“What?”

“I can’t help but think about the time I spent inside the Speed Force and what Kara told me when I came back.  I don’t remember much of my experiences but I feel like the danger we were in because of Cadmus was just the beginning.”

“Clark mentioned the rebirth of Cadmus.  What they did to Kara…and how you saved her.  Listen Barry…I’ve seen a lot that defies explanation since Clark’s ship crashed on my farm all those years ago.  I think…”

“That I’m worrying for nothing?”

“No.  Clark was the exact same way as you are now in his first couple of years as Superman.  You’re a hero and sometimes being a hero comes with carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.  Just don’t forget that the Flash isn’t all of who you are.”

Barry looked over at Jonathan, knowing that this advice was solid.  In his head, Barry knew that this is the same kind of advice his father and Joe would give him.  But they were both used to saving lives, Joe as a cop and his father as a doctor.  Hearing it from Jonathan Kent was no different except for the fact that he had the same struggles Clark did and had to work through them together as father and son. 

“Thanks Mr. Kent.”

“Don’t mention it.  You’re a good kid Barry.  A lot like Clark was at your age, and he still is.”

Later that evening after dinner, Jonathan, Martha, Barry and Kara sat in the farmhouse living room, with the Kent’s getting to know more about Barry and his life.  He and Kara had decided to keep mention of the Worldkillers out of the discussion but the potential threat was still in the back of their minds.  The next morning the four woke to an early snowfall that blanketed not only the farm, but most of the state, closing the airports and getting their flight cancelled, along with a call from Joe.

“Hey Joe…”

“I take it you’ve seen the weather; Barr?”

“Yeah…early snowfall.  Kara and I can’t even get the rental car going.  Looks like we’ll be staying in Smallville for our honeymoon.”

“That’s not a bad thing Barry.  You’ve got each other.  Be thankful.”

“Oh I am.  How’s…”

“Don’t worry about everything here.  We’re fine but Jesse had to move Wally’s training into the Speed Lab.  We’ll see you soon.”

As Barry hung up his phone he walked into the kitchen where Martha was preparing four cups of hot chocolate.  She handed him two mugs and he thanked her before putting on his jacket and stepping out to the porch where Kara was sitting and watching Shelby play in the snow.

“Kara…you okay?”

“Yeah…what makes you think I wouldn’t be?”

“You had a nightmare last night.  I tried to wake you but I ended up falling out of the bed when you pushed me away.”

“I’m so sorry Barry…I didn’t hurt you; did I?”

“No; I’m okay.  Do you want to talk about it?”

“There’s not much to talk about.  I can barely remember what happened.”

“What do you remember?”

“Darkness…death…like when you were taken into the Speed Force…”

“I see…my death?”

“Not this time.  But something is coming Barry…something dangerous.”

“Kara; when it comes, we’ll handle it.  Whatever it is.”

Kara could only smile as she took the mug of hot chocolate from Barry as he sat down and she leaned her head on his shoulder.  Neither of them could know what was going to happen, but in the coming days Kara’s nightmares were going to get more intense as the looming threat of the Worldkillers got closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with another chapter and as ya'll can probably tell, I draw a lot of my inspiration for the character portrayal in this story from Smalliville. Especially for Jonathan and Martha. I don't know about you guys, but John Schneider and Anette O'Toole were just great in the roles to me. It's nothing against the actors and actresses who came before between Christopher Reeve's Superman movies and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, but the younger take on Clark's adoptive parents was very well done in my opinion.


	10. First Attack

It had been difficult for J’onn and M’Gann to avoid being spotted by the White Martians as they departed the cave for his ship.  Upon arriving after multiple detours both were thankful to see that their transportation away from Mars had been ignored by their enemies.  While the journey would only be a few hours at top speed, J’onn wanted to learn more about his newfound niece and made the trip last a couple of days.  M’Gann was grateful for the time as she wanted to know more about her Uncle.  But it was when they entered Earth’s stratosphere that a new danger presented itself by firing on their vessel.

“Brainiac…what are you doing?”

“Ending a potential threat, Reign.  The sensors in my vessel detected a ship of Martian origin.  I have little doubt that they detected us as well.”

“Then I’d say you failed.  From what I can see, you only managed to destroy the ship’s engines.”

“I did far more than that.  That single blast disabled the vessel’s heat shields.  Without them it will burn up on reentry.  And I have seen this vessel before.  The pilot is an ally of Kal-El of Krypton.”

“Then this was a foolish attack.  If this ally of Kal-El; whom I presume is related to Zor-El; learns of this attack, he will come looking for you.  We are not ready to face this last son of Krypton.”

“You need not worry; Reign.  Kal-El will be none the wiser as my vessel has detected the pilot ejecting.  It will only take moments before my tractor beam captures him.”

While J’onn had been forcibly ejected from his ship, he set the coordinates for the D.E.O. before entering Earth’s orbit.  Just enough of the shields stayed intact to protect M’Gann.  While he was leaving his niece alone against his will, protecting her was his only concern.  While she screamed for him, she couldn’t override the controls as what remained of the ship flew towards a large building before crashing through the high rise balcony entrance.  All the D.E.O. agents on that level ran for cover before the ship came to a halt.

“Steady guys…we don’t know who or what is in this spaceship.  Be cautious…”

Alex came running into the room as the exterior sensors alerted her to the incoming projectile while she was in video conference with the President.  While still acting Director, she knew that J’onn was due back any day and came to an abrupt stop as she recognized the ship. 

“Stand down, Agents.  That’s J’onn’s ship.”

All the agents lowered their weapons but remained in a state of readiness for whatever came out of the vessel.  The impact with the building had been violent and no one knew what to expect next.  While they all hoped that J’onn was back, when the hatch opened the young woman who fell to the floor was shocking as she was shapeshifting between both a green and white Martian form.  Weapons were raised again just before she collapsed into unconsciousness.

While this strange turn of events had the entire D.E.O. searching for answers, J’onn was waking up aboard a vessel he was unfamiliar with.  He tried to move, but soon found that his arms were bound with strong restraints above his head.  What was worse was that when he looked down, he could see a strange heat source beneath his feet.  In that instant he knew he was a prisoner and could only hope that M’Gann had made it to the D.E.O. 

“Greetings Martian.  I trust that you are comfortable?”

“Comfortable is the last word I would use to describe my current situation.  Why are you keeping me prisoner?  What have I done to you?”

“To me…nothing.  But I require you.  You are aware of Kal-El.  Do not pretend that you know not of whom I speak.”

“I know of Kal-El.  What do you want with him?”

“He has defeated me in combat on several occasions.  From each loss I have learned and grown.  He continues to escape the fate of his home-world but shall not elude me again.  The last children on Krypton will die.”

“If you have learned and grown as you say, then you know that Kal-El is not easily defeated.  As long as he lives, so does Krypton.  I think you overestimate your chances of victory.”

“Perhaps I did at one time.  But fate has brought me allies that I fought with long ago as we destroyed Krypton.  They had yet to be created when I shrank and stole Kandor.  The Kryptonian High Council was foolish to think they could stop me.”

J’onn instantly knew who had captured him when the entity mentioned Kandor.  The voice was cold and metallic, so unlike he remembered when he fought alongside Kal-El to protect Earth from this threat.  As the lights came up around him, J’onn could see the new form this adversary had taken, but he knew who he was all the same.

“Brainiac.”

“It was predictable of Kal-El to tell you of me.  Perhaps you are wondering why I’ve brought you here.”

“I know why you’ve brought me here, Brainiac.  You think by keeping me prisoner you will lure Superman to your ship.  Your plan to use me as a hostage to get to him is futile.”

“I would applaud your logic if it was correct Martian.  You are not here so Superman will come to me.  You are here so they can torture you before we send you back to Earth.  I have no doubts you have heard of the Worldkillers.”

Brainiac stepped aside to reveal his allies against the last Kryptonians.  The four of them stood there in what would be impassive states if not for the cold gleam of hatred in their eyes.  To the Worldkillers he was an ally to the house of El and that made him deserving of their righteous anger.  As he was unable to move, he wondered which of the Worldkillers would be first to torment him. 

“Which one will it be, Brainiac?  You have me restrained so I’m waiting.”

“And I know what you are thinking Martian.  Your telepathy will not work on my vessel.  If you had thought you could control the Worldkillers and use one or all of them to help you escape, you are sorely mistaken.”

Brainiac departed the room and left his allies with J’onn.  He was powerless against them and would hold out as long as he could.  The first attack came swift and it was unleashed by Flower of Heaven.  She hit hard with her thermal-blast causing J’onn to scream out in pain.  Her attack continued for ten minutes before Deimax took her chance. She threw thunderous fists at the burn wounds on his body, hoping that he would succumb to his injuries and pass out, but to her surprise the Martian Manhunter remained defiant. 

“I have been through far worse than you can throw at me.  You think you will get to Kal-El and his family.  You must realize that your mission is an exercise in futility.”

“Perhaps, but you know that Flower of Heaven and Deimax have already caused you immense pain.  I suppose Perrilus would have more of an effect.  Her toxikinesis would be enough to kill you.”

“But you’re not going to do that.  Killing me would not serve your purpose.  You want me to suffer…you think that the injuries you are inflicting on me are more conducive to showing the Kryptonians what you are capable of.  They will fight you.”

“And they will die.  Sisters, leave me alone with the Martian.  He has felt your strength, now he will feel mine.”

Deimax, Perrilus and Flower of Heaven departed the chamber, leaving Reign alone with J’onn.  He waited for her to speak as she walked a circle around him, appraising his current injuries and contemplating just how much more damage she could cause.

“You sent your sisters away.  Clearly you are more to them than I had guessed.  So tell me…who are you, and just how much more do you think you can hurt me that they haven’t?”

“Bold words, Martian.  Your attempts to persuade me to kill you are foolish.  Your time to die will come…don’t be in such a hurry to meet your Gods.  As for who I am…my name is Reign.  I lead the Worldkillers.”

Reign finished her circle and stood in front of J’onn, assessing his injuries one more time as she ran one single finger down his chest, the sharp black finger nail stopping as it dug into one of his wounds.  She was impressed as he didn’t even flinch at her ministrations before pulling back.  Clearly the Martian was afraid of neither pain nor torture and she knew she was going to enjoy the next few days as she began her first attack.

Back at the D.E.O. M’Gann was still unconscious in Alex’s lab though her body seemed to still be involuntarily shifting between green and white Martian form.  Alex kept a close eye in the hope that this unknown would soon wake and explain who she was and the damage to J’onn’s spaceship.  Alura had been released days ago but still remained at the D.E.O. where she could test her newly acquired powers.  Flight was the one she still struggling with the most, but now she’s taking a break to check in on the arrival in an attempt to help.

“What do you think, Alex?”

“I’m not sure what to think Alura.  The only time I’ve examined a Martian before was J’onn, and that was voluntary.  He wanted to make sure that there were no lasting effects from Despero controlling him with Myriad.”

“I’m sorry…did you say Myriad?”

“Yes…Astra had used it to control the citizens of National City a few years back and just earlier this year an advanced form was used by a mad scientist to control aliens and meta-humans.  It…”

“I always worried that Astra and Non would find a way to make that work.  Kara told me that Fort Rozz had crashed here.  She even told me about Astra’s death…”

Alura paused causing Alex to look over at her in shame and sadness.  Kara had been close to convincing her Aunt to switch sides and help them, but Alex and J’onn’s arrival changed all that.  Astra felt betrayed and threatened to kill Kara in that moment and Alex only had one choice and used the Kryptonite sword to protect her sister.

“Alura…I…”

“Didn’t want to kill my sister.  She put you in a difficult situation and you had little choice.  From what Kara said they were locked in a stalemate.  Astra was desperately trying to convince her that Myriad would save Earth and humankind while she was trying to convince Astra that it would have the opposite effect.  In the end Non’s influence still won out.  He had been a scientist too once, but the multiple attacks Krypton had faced convinced him that war was the only answer.”

“To this day, I still wish there had been another way.  Kara had been knocked out, and I chose to protect her.”

“Alex…I’m not angry…you did what you had to so you could protect your family.  I’m sure Kara forgave you when she found out.  This is just one more regret I have to live with since I hadn’t been able to convince Astra of the ramifications of Myriad either.”

Alex thanked Alura as she stepped out of the medical facilities to continue working on repairing J’onn’s vessel.  Winn had examined it but the tech was more intricate that he could fix and this left the older Kryptonian with a job to do.  Days passed in much the same way as everyone at the D.E.O. waited for this mysterious Martian to wake and reveal what had happened to J’onn.  Nearly a week after her arrival, her body and mind started thrashing as she violently came to with a tortured scream.

“UNCLE!”

Alarms started blaring throughout the building as M’Gann instinctively knew her sudden return to consciousness was from J’onn trying to telepathically contact her.  She quickly ripped the sensors off her body and dashed from the medical wing into the main control room of the D.E.O. She was met with several weapons pointed at her and shifted to her white Martian form.  She was merciless in her attack though she tried not to kill any of the people.  Alex pulled every agent back as Alura strode forward confidently.  Without Kara there, she was the best defense against this potential threat.

What followed was a brutal fight as both women used their incredible super strength against each other.  Not wanting to cause harm to the D.E.O. agents, Alura flew out of the building in hopes that the Martian would follow her.  She did and the battle was now taking place in the sky and was no less violent. 

“Stop this!  No one wants to hurt you!”

Alura screamed to try and bring about an end to the hostilities but the lack of a verbal response from her adversary was the only answer she received.  In mere seconds M’Gann was back on the offensive and briefly used her telepathy to respond.

_“You’re trying to hurt me!  I didn’t start this!  I just want to find my Uncle!”_

Alura had just been about to use her heat vision when she heard the voice in her head.  She could feel the sorrow mixed with anger in the Martian occupying the airspace across from her.  In those moments she understood that what had happened was a massive misunderstanding.  With that in mind, she spoke with her own thoughts when she felt the telepathic connection still active.

_“Then stop fighting me!  I don’t want to hurt you more than I have!  I can help you if you’ll let me!”_

_“How can you help!?  You don’t know anything about me!  My Uncle is in serious danger!  I can feel it!”_

_“I can feel your anguish!  He’s all the family you have left!  I know all too well what that feels like!”_

_“How can you possibly know?”_

_“Read my mind and find out.”_

Alura stopped fighting long enough to focus on her memories of Krypton’s destruction, of launching Kara and Kal to the stars to protect them.  M’Gann was seeing all of this as she remained connected to the other woman’s mind and saw the final memory that Alura wanted to share as she watched her husband be ruthlessly killed in front of her very eyes.  With that new knowledge, M’Gann shifted back to her green Martian form with sadness in her eyes.  This woman she had been fighting with had lost so much more than she ever could.  As such, she spoke two words after inching closer.

“You’re Kryptonian.”

“Yes.  My name is Alura.  And right now, I’m probably the only one who can understand what you’re going through.  So please, let me help.”

Alura extended a hand out which M’Gann eyed nervously.  In her youth she had heard the stories about Krypton from the few visitors that came to Mars.  Propaganda was spread that Kryptonians were indifferent to the suffering of the universe and outright violent to anyone who came to their planet.  Most of these stories had been spread by Daxamites and Coluans, and they weren’t the most trustworthy either.  M’Gann could sense none of that and reached out, daring to trust.

“What’s your name?”

“M’Gann…M’Gann M’orzz.  J’onn J’onnz is my Uncle, and he’s in terrible danger.”


End file.
